Hide And Seek
by rlassie
Summary: Sequel to 'Future Consequences'. Jessie Halliwell loves her life. With her powers, her twin brother Vic by her side and her large extended family, she really is quite content. That is until a spell goes awry, sending her, her twin and her cousin back into the past, and starting off a chain of events that will turn her perfect world upside down. T for violence. No slash.
1. Prologue (Family Matters)

**Hide And Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot

**Quick A/N - Okay, so this is the sequel to 'Future Consequences.' If you're a new reader, you will be able to read this without having to read that first, as everything will be explained eventually. If you do have questions, I'm all too happy to answer them. To all returning readers, welcome back! Remember, this is only the prologue so all other chapters will be much longer than this. Right, enjoy everyone and please let me know what you think!**

**Prologue (Family Matters)**

* * *

The 29-year-old man and the 16-year-old boy stepped through the front door of the Halliwell Manor unnoticed. They both felt the wards flare as they stepped over the threshold and both were rather relieved when they weren't flung backwards. They slipped into the back of the very crowded conservatory and stood there calmly, watching the proceedings. Or at least the man was calm. The teenager was silently fuming, tapping his foot impatiently and occasionally rolling his eyes. The fact that he really didn't want to be there could not have been easier to see.

If the family had been taking notice, and had seen the two outsiders, they would have seen almost nothing that would have lead them to believe that the man and boy were related. The man was just over 6ft, with shoulder-length blue/black hair that was tied back at the base of his head with a small piece of black rope. He was very handsome, with a square jaw, a straight nose, eyes that dominated his face and a trimmed goatee. A lot of woman would have called his features close to perfect if it weren't for the nasty scar that ran down the left side of his face, along his neck and disappeared under the collar of his shirt.

The boy looked like a typical teenage boy, more so when he was pouting, as he was doing at the moment. He had thick, wavy, deep auburn hair that fell over his forehead, a scattering or acne along his chin and a body that was long and lanky, skinny but just beginning to develop. He bore no scars apart from the social ones he was sure to get if the man beside him kept him here too much longer.

No, there was nothing to say the two of them were related. And they weren't related at all. Not by blood. But uncannily, they both did share the same eye colour. A colour that had first attracted the man's wife to him and got the boy a bit of interest from the opposite sex, a fact he was very pleased about.

A deep, intense, bottle green.

The man turned to the boy with a sigh as he fidgeted. He frowned at him.

"If you're not careful, you'll get us noticed" he murmured out the corner of his mouth. The boy rolled his eyes again and glowered.

"I don't see why we have to be here in the first place" he grumbled back, flicking his head to get his hair out of his eyes. The man sighed again.

"We're doing what we're told kid. Michael said to bring you here, so bring you here I did" he said. The boy grimaced.

"Since when do you ever do what you're told?" he muttered and the man couldn't help the smile that spread across his face before he sobered again.

"Since I was convinced that this is where you're suppose to be. You have to be here for this moment. And don't ask me why, because I don't know" he said as the teenager scowled and opened his mouth. "Michael just said it was pretty important and you know that whatever's important to you is important to me as well."

The boy's face softened slightly at these words, and he quickly turned back to the ceremony, blinking rapidly. The two weren't related, but the man and his wife were as close to a mother and father the boy had ever had. The best day of his life was when they had adopted him when he was ten and at times, it still overwhelmed him that he actually had a family now. The frown was soon back on his face as the boring ceremony continued.

He didn't even know why he was here. Or where here was. He was pretty positive they were in the future, but _why?_ If he'd needed to come here, then he could've come by himself. He didn't need a chaperone! He had control of his power now. But the annoying Elder had been adamant. They both had to go.

He blinked and his eyes narrowed when one of the middle-aged women read what sounded like a spell and a whole group of ghosts appeared. The man smiled softly to himself when he saw that the arrival of the spirits had perked up the teenager's interest.

Once the ghosts had settled themselves, a young woman with long caramel curls and tall brown-haired man who was standing very close to her stepped forward. Their backs were turned so the man and boy couldn't see their faces, but they could tell by the way the couple touched and moved around each other almost absently, like it was an everyday and expected thing, that they loved each other very much. The boy blinked again when the couple turned slightly and revealed the bundle they each were carrying. He suddenly heard a gurgle and he frowned when he finally realised what was going on. A Wiccaning? Why the bloody hell were they at a Wiccaning for? And since he had no clue who the babies or their family were, he was even more confused. He was sure he didn't know these people. So why were they here?

The same woman who had read the spell to call the ghosts began speaking again. The boy tuned her out. For some unknown reason, the babies were what was holding his attention. As his gaze ran over their faces, he was very suddenly filled with an almost overwhelming urge to protect them. He even took a step forward before he stopped himself. He frowned again, confusion pumping through him. Why was he acting this way? What the hell was going on here?

He was about to turn to the man and demand some answers, even though he knew his guardian probably wouldn't be able to answer them, when almost as one, the babies opened their eyes and looked directly at him. He froze in surprise. Those eyes… they weren't blue like most baby's eyes were. Both of them each had one green eye and one purple eye. He sucked in a sharp breath. It was startling and unusual, but somehow it wasn't grotesque. As the twin sets of eyes seemed to stare straight into him, he concluded that it was actually pretty amazing looking.

A soft smile spread across his face as the baby in the woman's arms made another gurgling sound, and if it hadn't come from a baby that looked no older then a month, the boy would have called it a giggle. The baby in the man's arms looked in its twins direction briefly before its eyes came back to the teenager. It smiled, which the boy decided must have been gas, and… waved? The teenager blinked.

Huh? That was impossible! Babies couldn't wave! At least not intentionally! _It was just an involuntary movement_ he told himself as he frowned. It had to be. It was the only possible explanation.

He shook his head and with a lot more effort than he thought it should have taken, the teenager looked away from the ceremony. It was just finishing anyway. He turned to the man and scowled.

"Can we go now?" he asked impatiently. "I've got a life to live you know, and more importantly, I have a date tonight!"

The man scowled as well, rolled his own eyes and nodded his head towards the door. Michael had only said they had to stay until the kid had seen the infants that the Wiccaning was for, and the teenager most definitely had. It had spooked him a bit when he had noticed just how solidly the kid and those two babies had connected. It was if they somehow knew and recognised each other. And the man knew for a fact that they didn't. How could his son know a set of twins that were born sixteen years after him? His eyes narrowed. He hadn't been time jumping again, had he? he shook his head. No. He promised he wouldn't. Not after last time.

He sighed and silently followed the teenager as he stalked out of the house. He almost had to run to catch up with him.

"God damn it Maxwell, wait up!" he shouted.

"The name is Max!" the boy called back. "And hurry up! Do you know how long it took me to get Bridget to say yes? The rest of my high school life depends on this, so move your ass!"

"Maxwell Alexander, watch your mouth!" the man snapped as he caught up with his son. "Your mother would have a fit if she heard you speaking like that!"

The boy rolled his eyes once again. "Whatever" he muttered. The man growled and only just restrained himself from tugging at his hair in frustration. He looked heavenward.

"Lord, please save me from my son's teenage drama" he beseeched. He grinned when he looked down again and saw the smile that was tugging at the edges of the teenager's mouth.

"Right, let's get you home to this date" he said, taking the boy's arm. He looked at him in question.

"You wanna do it?" he asked and the boy smiled widely at the confidence his father showed in his abilities and nodded. He closed his eyes, the man braced himself, the air rippled and then they were gone.

The only people who had even realised they were there in the first place were the twins, whose multicoloured gazes had followed them out the door. They soon forgot as sleep overtook them, and they and the teenager wouldn't think about the other again for a very long time.


	2. Life as we know it

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter One – Life as we know it**

* * *

"Oh God no! My eyes!"

17-year-old Jessica Halliwell – or Jessie as she was known to her friends and family – smirked as she followed her twin brother Victor into the kitchen. As she was a few steps behind him, the witch with chin-length chocolate brown curls and one violet and one green eye didn't see what was causing his reaction, but she certainly had a fair idea. She stepped through the doorway to see him standing just inside the large room, a horrified look on his face as he theatrically threw his hand up to cover his vision. Her own eyes flicked across the room to see her mother's back pressed against the counter and her father standing very close to her. Her mother's cheeks were flushed a rosy red and her hip-length hair looked a lot wilder then it should've looked on a Saturday afternoon. Her suspicions at what Vic had walked in on were confirmed when she saw that her father still had one hand on his wife's hip and the other resting in her hair. He also had a very annoyed expression on his face. He narrowed his bottle green eyes at his son.

"Anyone ever tell you that you have to worst timing ever Victor?" he growled lightly. Jessie held back a laugh when Vic's horrified expression turned put-upon.

"Hey, this is where food is prepared people! Not for stuff like… like… that!" he exclaimed, his own brown hair falling over his ears as he gestured wildly. Chris looked amused.

"Like what Vic? It was just a little kissing" he said with a raised eyebrow, drawing his wife a little closer. Jessie grinned as her twin moaned dramatically.

"No no, don't talk about that. You weren't doing that, I didn't see that, you're too old to do that" he muttered as he clutched at his head.

He froze suddenly as what he'd just said registered, his head shooting up and the multi-coloured eyes he shared with his sister going straight to his mother, who up until that point hadn't said a word. Jessie drew in a sharp breath, her own gaze going to their mother as well. She cringed at the blank expression on Lindsey's face as the woman slowly drew herself out of her husband's grasp. Dammit. The Mask. She only wore that nowadays when she was pissed. Idiot brother. Why'd he have to go and say that for?

"Victor Warren Halliwell, did you just call me old?" she asked in a very quiet voice. Jessie cringed again at the use of Vic's full name and took a couple of cautious steps back, noticing out the corner of her eye her father doing the same thing. Her twin gulped audibly.

"Ah… no?" he tried, an innocent smile on his lips. Lindsey's violet eyes flashed and she folded her arms.

"What, so I'm hearing things now, am I?" she asked. Vic swallowed hard again and looked around desperately. Jessie shook her head when his pleading eyes met hers. Oh no. He got himself into this. He could get himself out.

"_Jessie! You're my twin sister! Where's the loyalty?!"_ She smirked again as his whine rang through her head.

"_That went straight out the door the moment you called her old little bro"_ she answered back. Vic's mouth twisted and he glared at his sister before resigning himself to his fate and turning back to his mother.

"_I'm not little. I'm taller then you are" _he said as he turned away. Jessie's smirk grew.

"_Aww, you'll always be my little brother" _she told him with a laugh.

"_Jeez, only by three minutes"_ he grumbled. Jessie laughed again, out loud this time. It cut off abruptly when Lindsey's eyes shot straight to her.

"Something funny Jessica?" she asked. Jessie blanched and hastily shook her head.

"So you don't want to share with the rest of the class what you were so rude enough to tell your brother privately?" she continued, her eyes boring into her daughters. Jessie copied Vic and swallowed hard, deliberately avoiding her twins gaze. They both knew their mother didn't like it when they used their shared telepathy to have a private conversation when there were other people in the room. So they both tried their best not to let her know when they did. Unfortunately it hadn't worked this time.

"Well since you're not going to let me in on the joke, maybe this old woman needs to ground a couple of teenagers" Lindsey said as she turned back to the bench top. Neither of her children noticed the twinkle in her eye, but her husband did. He hid his smile as the woman he loved teased the two young witchlighters.

Jessie grimaced at her mother's threat. She didn't want to be grounded now! There was a seminar tonight at Magic School and she really wanted to go! Beside her, Vic visibly paled.

"What? You can't do that! I have a date tonight!" he cried.

"Well you should have thought of that before you insulted me" Lindsey said calmly as she continued making coffee. Vic huffed out a breath and was beside her in an instant, a beseeching look on his face. He took her hand.

"Oh wonderful woman, please excuse my slip of the tongue. You're not old. Not at all. You are sweet and kind and generous and a fantastic mother, not that you look like a mother! Oh no, no, you look like our sister! A loving sister who would never lock this charming lad up and throw away the key! A beautiful, amazing-"

"Okay, okay, enough with the insincere flattery!" Lindsey said with a laugh as she turned fully to face her son. Vic looked put-upon again.

"Who said it was insincere?" he pouted. Lindsey laughed again, her husband joining her.

"It was certainly over the top son" Chris said with a grin. Vic frowned, his pout spreading. Lindsey reached over and patted his arm.

"It's okay Victor, I was only teasing. I'm not going to ground you. You can go on your date tonight and be your amazing charming self" she said. She squawked when her son suddenly threw his arms around her, lifting her off the ground in his enthusiasm.

"Oh thank you, thank you! I love you Mom!" he nearly shouted. Jessie shook her head. Vic always seemed to find a way of turning everything into a dramatic scene. Lindsey chuckled.

"I love you to Vic. Just watch the telepathy okay?" she said as he put her down, her eyes going to Jessie to include her in the warning. The teenage girl nodded quickly.

"Now scram. Your father and I were in the middle of something when you interrupted you know" she said with a sly grin. As Chris laughed, Vic very quickly stepped back, his face twisted in horror once more. He shot over to Jessie and took her hand.

"Come on sis, let us depart before they do something that will cause our eyeballs to disintegrate" he said, dragging her out of the kitchen. Jessie struggled half-heartedly as their father's laughter escalated, the sound following them out of the room.

"Hey, I did have a reason for going in there, you know. I'm hungry!" she told him with a frown. Vic glanced over his shoulder at her and shrugged.

"Well if you want to go back in there, do so, but you'll probably just end up bringing it all back up again" he said. Jessie rolled her eyes and tugged him to a stop.

"They aren't that bad, you know" she said as she walking into the living room.

"Yeah, if not bad is groping each at all times of the day" Vic muttered with a shudder. Jessie smiled slightly.

"At least we know they love each other. I think it would be worse if they didn't share a little PDA" she said. Vic threw her a strange look.

"You, my dear, are really very weird" he stated. Jessie frowned.

"I am not!"

"Yes you are. Majorly weird. The weirdest person I know" Vic said as he sat down on the sofa and switched on the TV. "You actually like school and studying, you don't mind when our parents trying to suck each other's faces off, you get all giggly and girly whenever Matt Renfew even looks in your direction…"

Jessie's eyes widened as Vic looked at her out the corner of his eye and smirked. She could feel herself blushing, a fact that only caused Vic's smirk to spread. She folded her arms in an unknowingly perfect impression of their mother, and glared at him.

"Shut the hell up Victor! You have no idea what you're talking about!" she hissed. Vic scoffed.

"_I can read your mind sister dear. I know exactly what I'm talking about."_

Jessie growled as his smug voice filled her thoughts. With a narrowing of her eyes, she slammed down her shields, effectively kicking him out of her head. Victor's smirk only grew further.

"What? A little sensitive there, are we?" he asked in a knowing tone. Jessie scowled at him.

"At least I don't have to beg Matt to look at me. He does it because he wants to. Not like you and a certain someone. What's her name? Oh, that's right! Lisa Brooks!" It was her turn to smirk when Vic narrowed his eyes at her.

"I didn't beg Lisa to go out with me. I asked" he said with a clear warning in his voice. Jessie snorted.

"Yeah. Over and over and over and-"

"Shut up Jessica! God you're annoying!"

"I'm not annoying, you idiot, you are!"

"Moron!"

"Jerk!"

"Shrew!"

"Ass Hat!"

"WOULD YOU TWO QUIT THE ARGUING ALREADY! IT'S ALL YOU EVER DO! DON'T MAKE ME USE THE SIBLING RIVALRY SPELL AGAIN!"

Jessie and Vic looked at each other as their mother's shout echoed through the house. They grinned.

"We're not arguing, we're discussing!" they shouted back cheekily at exactly the same time. The grins fell off their faces when Chris and Lindsey appeared in front of them in a shower of orbs, identical pissed off expressions on their faces. They hated it when their children ganged up on them.

"_Best we get out of here little bro"_ Jessie thought, the walls keeping her brother out gone in an instant.

"_Right with you there sis" _he answered back very quickly. They shared another look.

"Ah… off to Gran's place" Jessie said.

"Yeah, bye" Vic finished and, fleeing for their lives, they orbed out to a place they were bound to get more sympathy. Or at least until Piper learnt the reason behind their running. Both resolved to keep it from her as long as possible. Having a set of formidable parents was enough, thank you very much. Their grandparents were even worse.

~0~

Jessie raided the fridge the instant she got to the Manor. She hadn't been lying to her brother, she really was hungry. And Piper could always be counted on to have a large variety of supplies. She had just dipped a pickle in mayonnaise and was biting into it when her best friend and second cousin Laura wandered into the kitchen. She screwed up her nose when she saw what Jessie was eating.

"Eww. That's disgusting" she said, brushing her strawberry blond waterfall back over her shoulder. Jessie shrugged.

"Don't knock it till you try it" she said. She grinned when Laura sniffed and went to put the kettle on for tea. She knew Laura would never try some of the weird combinations Jessie liked to eat. She just wasn't adventuress enough.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Laura asked as she got out a cup and saucer. She raised a second one at Jessie, asking if she wanted some, and put it down beside her own when her friend nodded. "Don't you have that seminar thing today?"

"Yeah, but not for another couple of hours. Vic and I thought we better escape our place quick smart. Our, ah, _discussing_ was driving the olds up the wall."

"_Don't let Mom hear you call her that. She doesn't really take well to being called old, you know." _Jessie rolled her eyes.

"_Yes, I do know that Vicky darling. I was there."_

"_Don't call me Vicky, Jessica! It's Vic! You know, manly, macho Vic!"_ She snorted.

"_Oh, go back to your spells Vicky, and leave me in peace would you?"_

"_Well if you weren't shouting your thoughts so loudly, maybe I could!"_ Jessie snorted again.

"_I'm not shouting, you're eavesdropping. Goodbye Victor!"_

She closed her mind and focused her attention back on the other occupant of the room, who was standing in front of her, patiently holding out a steaming cup and saucer. Jessie sighed and took the set as guilt ran through her. This was why their mother told them off for using their telepathy when others were around. It cut everyone else off and it had taken a number of years for Laura to get over feeling left out.

"Sorry" she said quietly. Laura smiled and shrugged, her hazel eyes soft.

"It's okay. You know, if you two don't stop fighting, your parents really will take drastic measures." Jessie grinned.

"No they won't. They know we aren't doing it to hurt each other. Or at least not much. It's fun." Laura sent her a dubious look.

"If you say so" she said. Jessie knew that Laura had a rather volatile relationship with her little sister Paris. She couldn't blame her. The girl was a brat. An 11-year-old snooty little princess.

"So where is Little Miss Thing today?" she asked as she put down the tea set and dipped the pickle back in the mayonnaise. "Aunt Kat finally put her in the loony bin?"

Laura sent her a swift glare, to which Jessie just raised an eyebrow. She wasn't afraid to call it like it is. The girl thought she was better than the rest of the family, and she didn't even have any active powers yet! And Aunt Kat and Uncle Andrew were just indulging her. It had taken them a very long time to conceive again, so they saw Paris as their little miracle. A fact that the tween played up every chance she got.

"No, her and Mom are up at Magic School actually. Paris demanded, so they went. I'm here because Dad had the McGuphry job to do and it was boring at home on my own. At least I have the Book to look through here."

"Is that house still not finished?" Jessie asked, her voice full of disbelief. Laura snorted quietly.

"No, and it won't be unless Dad puts his foot down and tells the owners to stop making changes. He's been building that house for six months now. The man is just too nice for his own good." Jessie raised an eyebrow.

"Says the girl who won't stand up to her own pipsqueak of a sister" she said dryly. Laura glared again and Jessie held up her hands.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up. She's your sister, not mine." _Thank God._

"_Thank God for what?"_ Jessie groaned silently.

"_Victor, I'm trying to have a private conversation here!"_

"_Then don't shout. Now, now, no need to get snarky"_ he said when she growled. _"You need to come up here anyway. Jack has an idea that I think is actually pretty good."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Come up and see deary, don't be lazy."_

Jessie sighed, dunked the last bite of pickle in the mayo and put the jar away. She looked at Laura.

"Vic has something he wants us to see" she said. Laura raised her eyebrows in question and Jessie grimaced.

"I don't know what it is, but Jack's involved so it really could be anything." She grinned when Laura groaned.

"We better go see what they're up to before they blow up the house" she muttered as she followed her friend. Jessie couldn't agree more.

~0~

The two high school seniors entered the attic warily, keeping a very close eye on the people already occupying the room. Victor was sitting on the floor next to the mixing table and beside him sat an innocent looking young girl. Both Laura and Jessie knew first hand that this wasn't true. 14-year-old Clementine 'Jack' Halliwell didn't have an innocent bone in her body.

A lot of people said she took after her mother when she was a child. Privately Jessie agreed with them. With a mother like Riley, an aunt like Melinda and a great aunt like Paige, Jack hadn't really stood a chance. Thank God it was only her who got the trouble maker gene. Aunt Riley and Uncle Wyatt's other two children, 15-year-old Lydia and 10-year-old Carter took more after their father, Lydia especially. Although Jack got up to a lot of mischief, Jessie would have taken her over her older sister any day. Lydia was boring, and that was saying something, as Jessie could be a stickler for the rules at times as well. At least Jack wasn't a stick-in-the-mud.

"J_eez__, judgemental much sis?"_

Jessie turned and poked her tongue out at her brother, ignoring his _"Yeah, real mature"_ comment. She walked over and sat down beside her cousin. Laura followed her and sat on the sofa. Jack looked up and grinned, making Jessie grin back. The girls smile was infectious. As was her personality.

Jessie remembered quite clearly the time Jack had gotten everyone together and stated that they now all had to call her Jack. She'd been ten, making Jack seven, and the little girl had called a family meeting. She'd then said that even though she loved the name Clementine (Jessie remembered snorting silently at this. No she didn't. The girl hated it), she had decided that she wasn't going to be known by that anymore. She was going to be known, quite simply, as Jack.

When Uncle Wyatt had asked her why she wanted to be called that, especially considering it was a boy's name, Jessie had been surprised by the girls' thought-out answer. She'd said that she understood why she'd been called her name. 'Oh My Darling Clementine' was the only song that had gotten pre-born her to settle down in the womb, and it was also the name of Winston Churchill's wife, which had appealed to Riley as she was on her way to becoming a history professor. But Jack thought the name didn't really suit her, so she'd come up with an alternative. She'd told them that, sticking with the World Leader theme, Jack was John F. Kennedy's nickname. It was also the nickname of C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, who just happened to be Jack's favourite author. And since the little girl was determined to be an author when she grew up, she thought it fit.

So did Jessie. Everyone else had just done it to humour her, expecting her to get over it in a couple of weeks. She hadn't and the name had stuck. She was now only called Clementine when she was in serious trouble. Which, unfortunately, was quite often.

"So what's this idea of yours?" Jessie asked her cautiously. Lord knew what the girl had come up with.

"Well, you know the only reason Aunt Parker is postponing her wedding to Andrea is because her engagement ring got stolen right?" Jessie nodded.

"Along with a lot of other things. Andrea isn't happy about it, but she understands. That ring is special" she said, referring to the ring that used to belong to Andrea's grandmother. The young teenager nodded eagerly, her aquamarine eyes excited.

"Well, if we maybe do a little time hop-" Jessie threw up her hands, cutting her off.

"Wait! Stop right there! Time travel Jack? Are you nuts? Do you know how dangerous that is?!"

"We won't be changing anything Jessie! We'll just go back to when the ring and the other jewellery was stolen, watch who takes them and follow where they end up so that Aunt Parker can get them back! We'll only be observing! That's all!" Jessie scoffed.

"Yeah sure, and then we step on a bug and the future changes dramatically" she accused. Jack huffed.

"You know it doesn't work like that. Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige successfully went back to when Grandpa first met Gran and they didn't change a thing! So it's possible to just observe." Jessie folded her arms stubbornly. Jack sighed.

"Come on Jessie. One quick trip. Okay, maybe two or three depending if the jewellery all ends up in the same place or not. And then we come back and let Uncle Henry know where it is and who has it. It'll be easy. We'll be back before you know it and no one even has to know we were gone. The only reason I'm asking you to help is because I can't manage the spell myself. I'm not strong enough yet" she pleaded. Jessie narrowed her eyes.

"If no one knows we went, how are we supposed to let Uncle Henry know where the jewellery is?" she asked suspiciously.

"Anonymous tip" Jack said brightly. Jessie blinked.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" she asked on a sigh.

"Yup" Jack answered, popping the P at the end of the word as Jessie looked over at her brother.

"Your all for this?" she asked. He grinned and nodded.

"I can't see where anything could go wrong" he said.

"_Those better not be famous last words" _she warned him. Vic winked at her.

"_Come on sis, live a little" _he answered. Jessie glared and turned to look at Laura. The older girl held up her hands.

"Count me out. Mom will kill me if she ever finds out I did something like this. Just as your parents will kill you. I gotta head home soon anyway." Jack frowned at her.

"They're not going to find out! Gran and Grandpa left just before you guys arrived, so we're the only one's here right now. And we'll be back pretty much instantly" she said. Laura shook her head.

"Sorry Jack, I really can't" she said apologetically. The younger witchlighter sighed.

"_Goody-two-shoes" _Vic thought. Jessie glared at him.

"_Sensible" _she corrected. He grinned back at her. She turned back to Jack, her expression thoughtful.

"You're going to do this even if I do say no aren't you?" she asked slowly. Jack looked smug.

"Yup" she said, once again popping the P. Jessie groaned.

"So I better go then, just so you have someone _responsible_ along to keep you two in line" she said. She frowned when Jack cheered and threw her arms around her.

"You're awesome Jessie!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well let's see the spell then" she said. Jack let her go and reached across the table, picked up a piece of paper and handed it to her. Jessie read it over quickly.

"It's like the one in the Book but not" she said as she looked at her cousin. Jack nodded.

"It is the one in the Book. The one that doesn't need the Power of Three. We don't need one that strong, as it'll only be a quick trip. I just changed a few words" she said. Jessie frowned.

"This better work Clementine Halliwell, or I swear I'll have your head on a platter" she warned. Jack copied Vic and winked at her.

Laura got up and moved to the other end of the attic so Vic could push the sofa out of the way. As there was a Triquetra permanently carved into the wall nowadays, they didn't have to worry about that. The three of them went to stand in front of it. Jessie frowned at Jack again.

"Are you positive this is going to work?" she asked. The girls bob of dark blond hair bounced as she nodded calmly.

"Very. Relax Jessie. I know what I'm doing."

"There's those famous last words again" Jessie muttered. Jack grinned, held out the paper and the three of them recited the spell.

_Hear these words,  
__Hear the rhyme,  
__Head the hope within my mind.  
__Send us back to help her find,  
__What she will in places and time._

All of a sudden the Triquetra on the wall burst into a violent, blue, swirling vortex, sending almost everything in the attic flying into the air. Jessie gasped as an incredibly strong vacuum latched onto her, Vic and Jack and quickly began to drag them forward. She panicked. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"God damn it, Jack!" she screamed as she hand instinctively sort out her twins. She squeezed it tightly as completely against their will, the three witchlighters were hurled forward and into the ferocious looking vortex.

Just as suddenly as it began, the drama was over. Laura picked herself up off the floor where the vortex had dumped her and stared in shock at the blank wall and the destroyed attic. She swallowed. Hard.

"Oh Lord" she whispered. "The Charmed Ones are going to kill me."


	3. That damn DeLorean

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series.

**Chapter Two – That damn DeLorean**

_Just as suddenly as it began, the drama was over. Laura picked herself up off the floor where the vortex had dumped her and stared in shock at the blank wall and the destroyed attic. She swallowed. Hard._

"_Oh Lord" she whispered. "The Charmed Ones are going to kill me."_

* * *

Laura kept her head down as her Aunt Lindsey paced the attic agitatedly. Her teeth continuously nibbled her lower lip as she tried her best not to cry. She'd waited almost an hour before she'd contacted anyone, hoping against hope that her three cousins would suddenly walk back through the wall. They hadn't and Laura had realised that she couldn't put it off any longer. Something had gone seriously wrong and there was absolutely no way she'd be able to fix it on her own.

"And you're absolutely positive the vortex dragged them in? They didn't walk in on their own?"

Laura shook her head despairingly as her Aunt asked that question for about the tenth time, and she couldn't stop herself shrinking down and trying to make herself as small as possible as the older woman growled under her breath. She hated confrontation almost as much as she hated disappointing people. It was the reason why she always tried her best to stay away from demon hunting and fighting, and why she was extremely glad that apart from orbing, the only other active power she had was Banishing, which was a pretty passive power in itself.

"I still don't understand why you didn't stop them! You're the eldest Laura! I can't believe you just stood back and let them go through with this! What in the hell were you thinking?!"

Laura swallowed a sob as her Aunts voice got louder and louder. She was right. She was the oldest, if only by five months, but she still should have stopped them from performing the spell. Now they had no idea where they were and it was all her fault. She stiffened slightly when she felt someone put their arm around her shoulder and she looked up in surprise when her Mother began speaking.

"Take it down a notch, would you Lindsey? She feels bad enough as it is, she doesn't need you griping on at her. Yes, she made a mistake, one she'll be punished for, but she wasn't the only one. Or did you forget that your two did nothing to stop this from happening either? In fact they encouraged it and they're the same age!"

Laura blinked in shock as Aunt Lindsey stopped pacing and turned to look at her Mother silently, her face twisted with fear and frustration. She suddenly groaned heavily, lifting her hand to rub her face hard.

"You're right. I'm sorry Laura. I'm just worried" she said in a muffled voice. Laura sent her a small, tentative smile.

"It's okay Aunt Lindsey. I'm worried too" she said softly. Aunt Lindsey smiled back at her and she turned into her husband as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"We'll find them beautiful, don't worry" he murmured against her hair.

"And Jessie didn't really want to go Aunt Lindsey. She tried to talk them out of it, and when she realised that it wasn't working, she decided to go to 'keep the other two in line' as she put it" Laura explained quietly.

"Let me guess. The whole thing was Jack's idea right?" Uncle Wyatt asked dryly and Laura cringed before nodding slowly. He sighed as Aunt Riley growled.

"I'm going to strangle that girl when we get her back" she grumbled as she flicked through the Book.

"Join the queue" Uncle Wyatt muttered as he walked over to examine the now very normal looking wall. Even though both him and Aunt Riley sounded pissed, Laura could hear the worry under their tones.

Aunt Riley only confirmed her suspicions when she flung the Book closed, rested her elbows on the stand and put her head in her hands, her shoulders slumped. Uncle Wyatt looked over at her movement and was quickly at her side, drawing her into his arms in much the same way Uncle Chris had with Aunt Lindsey. Aunt Riley sighed and buried her face into his shoulder. Laura's mouth twisted with melancholy and she moved closer to her mother, taking comfort when the arm around her shoulder tightened.

"Right, so the best way to figure out what happened to them is to go over this step by step" Aunt Piper stated calmly, drawing everyone's attention. "Laura, you said Jack changed a few words to the Go Back In Time spell?" Laura nodded.

"Well if you can remember it, write down the changed spell and we'll go from there" she said.

Laura didn't see how that was going to help, as the spell had gone majorly haywire, but since the Charmed Ones had about fifty more years' experience then she did, she wasn't going to say no. And they had to start somewhere. She pulled out of her mother's arms and sat down beside the mixing table determinedly. She'd made a mistake in not stopping them from going, she would fix it by helping bring them back.

~0~

Jessie shouted in fear as she was flung violently out of the vortex. She crashed onto the ground and groaned, curling up in a ball. She only just stopped her head from slamming onto the hard surface beneath her. Her hand clutched at her chest as she tried to force air back into her lungs, and she slowly uncurled as her chest decided not to collapse in on itself and her lungs began working again. With a lot of effort, she pulled herself into a sitting position, gritting her teeth against the loud – _very_ loud – protest her body decided to wage as she pulled her legs up.

An equally pain-filled groan came from her left and she turned her head to see Jack carefully pulling herself up into a sitting position as well. The girl winced as she moved, but Jessie couldn't find it in herself to feel any sympathy for her. It was her fault they were in this mess. She was making sound and moving, albeit gingerly, but she was still clearly functioning so she obviously wasn't badly hurt.

She turned her head to see where her twin was, and for a second she stopped breathing as her heart jolted in her chest. Vic was lying sprawled out on the floor just behind her and Jack, and he wasn't moving. At all. His eyes were closed and his mouth slack, and Jessie's head was empty, void of any normal comforting presence her brother usually took up.

Completely ignoring the shrieking, hissing protests her body began to make as soon as she moved; she swung around and shot over to him. With slightly shaking hands, she turned him over, and couldn't hold back a quiet moan of fear when that rough movement didn't get even a slight response from him. Jack looked over at the sound and she gasped.

"Oh God, Vic! Is he alright? What happened?" she asked frantically as she got to her feet and hurried over to them.

"What happened is that you decided to try your hand at a little time travelling and got it wrong!" Jessie snarled as she turned to glare at her cousin. "And I have no clue if he's alright or not!" she continued as she turned back to her twin. "The only thing I can tell is that he's alive!"

"Well, that's a good thing" Jack said with a cheery smile. The expression quickly fell off her face when Jessie's head shot round, her eyes blazing with anger and disbelief. She hurriedly held up her hands and backed away.

"Okay, okay, sorry. I'll, ah, just check out where we are, shall I?" she said as she swiftly got to her feet again.

"Yeah, you do that" Jessie muttered in irritation, once again turning to her brother. It didn't seem like he was hurt too bad. There was a bump on his forehead that already had bruising forming around it, but apart from that, she couldn't find any obvious injuries. Her hand went to his shoulder and she gave him a good shake.

"Vic? Victor? Open your eye Vic. Come on, now's not the time to get a little shuteye."

She swallowed the bile in her mouth and her heart started to pick up in fear when he didn't so much as blink an eyelid.

"Victor? Vic, please open your eyes!" she pleaded quietly as she gave him another hard shake. Still no response and her breath began to catch in her throat. This only succeeded in pissing her off even more.

"God damn it Victor, open your eyes now!"

Nothing.

"_Victor Warren Halliwell, if you don't wake up this instant, I swear I'll turn your life into your own personal version of hell!"_

Jessie's pulse pounded in her ears as a minute, then two passed, and still no response came from her twin. Tears filled her eyes as panic swarmed through her. What the hell did she do now? He wasn't waking up and she didn't have a medical degree, nor could she heal and-

"_Ugh, did a concrete wall fall on me or something? Holy crap, I feel terrible."_

"_Victor!"_ Jessie yelled in her head as his presence was suddenly right there again, slotted back in where it belonged. She threw herself down on top of him and hugged him hard, only to jerk back when his pain-filled groan echoed through her mind.

"_Oh, sorry" _she said rather sheepishly as Vic blinked open his eyes and stared up at her in confusion.

"_Yeah, well, nice to know you love me and all, but what the hell happened?"_ he asked as he slowly pulled himself up. Jessie scooted back, her arm around his back in support.

"I have no idea" she said out loud. Vic winced at the sound and his hand went up to his forehead.

"Well I do" a voice said and they both turned their heads to look at their cousin, who had just sat down beside them. She waved her hand around the room and raised an eyebrow.

"See anything familiar?" she asked.

Jessie followed her hand gesture and for the first time took notice of the room they were in. Or to be more specific, the _attic_ they were in. Her eyes widened.

"We're in the Manor! How are we in the Manor?" she asked as she frowned at Jack. "The spell was supposed to take us to Aunt Parker and Andrea's house, not here!"

"I know that Jessie. And I have no idea why we're here. Or, ah… what year we're in either" Jack finished in a rush. Jessie sucked in a breath and narrowed her eyes at the young witchlighter.

"Are you telling me that you're spell stranded us in some undetermined time period?" she hissed. Jack looked away guiltily and Jessie groaned and put her head in her hands.

"God Jack, I am so going to kill you" she mumbled.

"Wanna do that later sis? I think it's best if we figure out what's going on first. Which hopefully shouldn't be too hard, considering the Book is here" Vic said with a very careful nod behind them. Jessie turned and sighed in relief when she saw the Book of Shadows resting on its stand. At least there was that.

"Yeah! With the Book here, we'll figure out what went wrong in no time!" Jack exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and bounced over to the Book. Jessie stood up as well and helped Victor to his feet. She looked at him worriedly as he swayed. He smiled wanly at her.

"I'm fine Jessie. It's just a bump on the head and an accompanying headache. Nothing I haven't had before" he said quietly. She scowled and looked away. Not having him answer her when he was unconscious had terrified her and it was probably going to be a while before she stopped treating him like an invalid.

They both turned and looked at Jack when she made a frustrated sound. She was frowning down at the Book as she flipped the pages, and she didn't look happy. Jessie moved over to stand beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Jack sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing really. It's just that there's hardly anything in here. More than half the spells are missing, which doesn't matter at the moment, but it could be rather dire if we happen to need one of them anytime soon."

"The time spell is still in there, isn't it?" Vic asked as he slowly made his way towards them. Jack nodded.

"Yeah it is, but it's not really going to help us. We need a reversal spell, or more specifically a reversal spell for the changed spell I created, which I don't have." She growled slightly in frustration. "I didn't think I'd need to write a reversal spell, as the original was supposed to take us back as soon as we found out what we needed to!"

"Yeah, well, it didn't, nor did it take us only two weeks into the past like it was supposed to" Jessie said. Jack sighed and Vic moved over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Well there's no need to stress over the how and why. It happened and now we have to concentrate on figuring out how to get back home before we accidently change something drastic."

"It would help if we knew what year we were in" Jessie muttered.

"Well, we are in the Halliwell Manor, the attic of the Manor to be more precise, so if there's any place we can find what we need to get us back home, it's here" Jack said. "There might be a current newspaper lying around to let us know what the date is." Jessie scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

"In the attic? Since when do they keep current newspapers in the _attic?_" she asked scornfully. Jack swallowed and quickly looked back down at the Book.

"It's worth a try" she mumbled and Jessie scowled, turning away from the guilt she felt at being cruel to her cousin.

"_Come on Jessie, she's trying her best to fix this. You don't have to be so hard on her."_

Jessie turned and looked at her brother, who was watching her expectantly. Her eyes flicked to Jack and her guilt increased when she saw the severly distressed frown on the younger girls face. Her bottom lip was trembling ever so slightly. Jessie sighed.

"Yeah, it's worth a try" she acknowledged quietly. Jack looked up, blinked rapidly and grinned at her happily, relief flowing across her face. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Let's get searching then" she said.

~0~

They found nothing that gave them any idea of what year they were in. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Jessie didn't think they would, but going by her disappointed expression, Jack was obviously expecting a different result. She sat down heavily on the sofa and Vic took the seat beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder in comfort again. Jack looked at him unhappily. He returned her look with a grin.

"Hey, just because we didn't find anything in writing that tells us what year we're in, doesn't mean we still didn't pick up hints" he said. Jack looked at him curiously and he elaborated.

"Well, it seems that a lot of things that we have up here in our time are here now. Potion ingredients for example. And they're all in the same place. Plus all of the stuff that's stored in here looks remarkably familiar. Sure, a lot of stuff that's up here in our time isn't here, but I recognise most of the stuff that's here now."

Jack frowned. "But what does that mean?" she asked.

"It's means that we haven't gone terribly far back in time" Jessie said slowly as she made her way over to them and sat down on the arm of the sofa. "It means that the Sisters still live in the house, and it also means that we can ask for help if we absolutely have to, and know that they'll be more than willing to lend their expertise."

"If we can convince them who we are that is" Vic muttered. Jessie looked over at him sharply.

"That's one thing we won't be doing. Telling them who we are" she explained when Vic frowned at her. "It could change everything if we tell them we're their grandchildren! Or do you want to go home and find out Mom has suddenly become a demon and half our family doesn't exist anymore?"

Vic huffed out a breath and ran his hand through his hair.

"I see your point" he muttered.

"Okay, so we don't tell them who we are. We can still ask for their help can't we?" Jack asked eagerly. Jessie sighed.

"If we can't get home on our own, we won't have a choice" she said. Everyone was silent for a lengthy moment after her statement.

"Maybe we should go down into the house?" Jack suggested suddenly. "There isn't a newspaper up here, but if Aunt Phoebe still lives here, there'll be a copy of The Bay Mirror lying around somewhere."

Jessie had just glanced at her thoughtfully when abruptly a tinkling sound rang through the attic, and a swarm of blue and white orbs appeared out of nowhere. All three young Halliwells froze as the cloud cleared to reveal a tall, lanky young man with shaggy brown hair. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket and going by his body language and what looked like two days' worth of stubble covering his jaw, he was extremely exhausted.

"_Oh… shit."_

Jessie couldn't agree with her brother more. This was one of the things they were trying to avoid! The man didn't seem to notice them sitting on the sofa, and none of them moved a muscle, not wanting to alert him. He didn't look in their direction, nor did he look around the attic at all, which Jessie couldn't help thinking was a very stupid thing to do. They could have been anyone! She shook off her thoughts as Jack grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard, their shocked gazes following the man as we walked towards the Book without having any idea that they were there.

He had just reached it when there was another tinkle of orbing and a tiny, blond-haired little boy, who looked no older than two years old, appeared next to the man. The boy smiled sweetly up at him as he frowned.

"What are you doing here? You should be with Lindsey" the man murmured. Jessie sucked in a sharp breath as the man sighed and bent down to pick him up.

"Come on Wyatt, let's get you back before Lindsey starts freaking out" he said.

"Wyatt?!" Jack blurted out and then cringed when the man spun around to stare at them in shock. Jessie sighed as Vic groaned.

"Yeah, real smooth Jack" he muttered.

"Sorry" she mumbled and then looked up when the toddler in the man's arms giggled. He seemed to be holding his arms out to her. Instinctively, Jack stood up and took a step towards him, and this movement broke the man out of his frozen stupor. Both Vic and Jessie jumped to their feet as his startled green eyes hardened and he threw up his hand.

Jessie braced herself as she recognised the movement, preparing to jerk Jack out of the way of the TK. She blinked in surprise when she didn't have to, as a blue orb shield appeared in front of her, her twin and her cousin. Vic grinned as they watched the shield ripple when the TK hit it. The man scowled and looked at the toddler.

"Did you do that?" he asked the baby, as if expecting an answer.

"No. I did" Jack replied smugly. The man swung back round to stare at them again, and his expression hardened further as his hand began to spark with Elder bolts.

"You know, I don't really think he wants to be friends at the moment" Vic said conversationally. "So how about we try this another time huh?"

"That, brother dear, is an excellent idea" Jessie answered, and as the bolts in the man's hand grew in size and strength, they both grabbed Jack's arm and quickly orbed away to escape becoming shish-kebabs.

~0~

Sometimes it was a very good thing to know exactly what someone else was thinking. Jessie and Vic didn't even have to consult each other, they both just automatically orbed to the same place. As the scenery of P3 formed around them, Jessie looked around in shock. Wow. The place was _retro_.

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that Uncle Chris who just tried to attack us?" Jack asked. Jessie and Vic looked at each other before Jessie sighed and nodded.

"Man" Jack said as she wandered around the completely different looking club. "It's shocking how young he was."

"Not to mention how young _your father_ was" Vic teased her. Jack blinked and then laughed quietly.

"Yeah, it's not often you get to see your Dad in baby diapers" she said. She suddenly frowned in confusion.

"But if that little boy was my Dad, how was Uncle Chris an adult? He shouldn't even be born yet, or at least still a baby!" She scowled. "I don't get it."

Jessie and Vic exchanged another look. They knew how their Dad could be an adult when his older brother wasn't even speaking in full sentences yet. Not very many of the other cousins did, but their parents had decided not to keep it from them, their Dad especially. He didn't want them to react the way he had when he found out about the other him. It hadn't been a good reaction, and it had ended up hurting their Mother pretty badly. Vic raised an eyebrow and Jessie sighed.

"Uncle Wyatt's brother is an adult at the moment because in the years 2003 and 2004, the Charmed Ones had a visitor from the future. They found out later that the visitor was Gran and Grandpa's second son" she explained quietly as she rubbed her forehead.

Jack spun back around and gawked at her.

"What? Why the hell don't I know about this?!"

"I can't answer that, as it was obviously your parent's decision not to tell you, but that's where I think we are now. Either in the year 2003 or 2004. 2004 probably, going by how old Uncle Wyatt looked."

She lowered herself onto a bar stool and rubbed her forehead again, trying to rub out the headache that had formed the instant she'd figured out what was going on. She sighed and looked up at her brother and cousin.

"And that makes it even more important that we don't mess anything up. One wrong move and it could change everything." Jack frowned again.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. Vic grimaced.

"She means that if we make a mistake and change something, even if it's something tiny, it could mean that all three of us could end up not being born."


	4. Yellow bricks

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Three – Yellow bricks**

"_She means that if we make a mistake and change something, even if it's something tiny, it could mean that all three of us could end up not being born." _

* * *

Jack stared at the two older witchlighters stupidly. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Jessie would have laughed at how absolutely gobsmacked she looked. Slowly her stunned expression faded to confusion.

"But… that doesn't make any sense" she said as her eyebrows drew together. "You guys were born in 2028, and I was born in 2031. How does this year, 2004, have anything to do with our births?"

Jessie scrunched up her nose and rubbed her forehead again. Her headache was just getting worse. What the hell did they do now? Obviously, Uncle Wyatt had had a reason for not telling Jack, and probably Lydia and Carter as well, about the events that had eventually led up to her and Vic being born. She just couldn't for the life of her think of what that reason could be. It must have been important though.

"_She needs to know Jessie. You know what happened to Dad when he was kept in the dark, and how he reacted to it. Her not knowing in this situation could have some really bad consequences."_

Jessie's eyes flicked over to meet her brothers. She knew what he was saying was right, but she really didn't want to start a fight within the family. If Jack didn't know, it was logical to think that no one else knew either, and their cousin finding out would mean that everyone else would eventually find out as well. Jack wasn't that type of person to keep something to herself if she was annoyed, especially if it effects the whole family.

"_What if Uncle Wyatt had a really good reason for not telling her? He won't be happy with us for letting the cat out of the bag if he does"_ Jessie said.

Vic sighed and ran his hand through his thick, shaggy hair. _"Then we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. She needs to know, if only to avoid making a serious mishap that could end our existence."_

"You know, I never really understood how Laura felt when you two had your private little conversations, but I'm getting an idea now" Jack said, interrupting their shared internal monologue. She glared at them as they turned to look at her. "Will you please stop with the damn telepathy and tell what the hell is going on here!"

Jessie sighed as she watched her severely annoyed cousin try not to lose her temper. Her blue/green eyes sparked with irritation, her hands were trembling and her bow-shaped mouth was twisted in frustration. She looked about as dangerous as an angry little kitten, but both Jessie and Vic knew better. It was a very bad idea to get on Clementine Halliwell's bad side. Even kittens had claws, and sharp ones at that. She looked at her bother.

"You're better at telling tales then I am" she reminded him with a small, teasing smile. He grinned in answer and turned back to the other girl who was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Okay, so, when your Dad was round about two years old, the family got a visitor from the future who eventually turned out to be Uncle Wyatt's younger brother-"

"Yes, yes, you've already told me that" Jack interrupted. Vic glared at her.

"Hey, you wanna hear this story or not?" he demanded. Jack huffed and pouted before nodding.

"So maybe you better let me tell it then hmm? Right" he continued when Jack looked away with a frown and Jessie hid her smile behind her hand, "he told them he came back because he needed to stop a great evil from happening in the future. He became the Charmed Ones Whitelighter and he later told them that the great evil he was there to prevent was… well, Uncle Wyatt."

Jack's mouth fell open. "What?" she choked out. "That's impossible! Dad would never turn evil! He's too good for that!"

"Yeah, well, in this Chris's future, he did. Him and his fiancée-"

"Fiancée?" Jack interrupted again in a flabbergasted voice. Vic narrowed his eyes at her.

"Jack, dearie, will you please stop interrupting me?" he asked very sweetly, with steel under his tone. Jack frowned and waved her hand for him to continue.

"Yes, his fiancée. The two of them cast a spell to send him back to the past and stop what he thought had to be a demon from turning his brother evil. It wasn't a demon though. It was an Elder who thought Uncle Wyatt was just too powerful for his own good. The Charmed Ones, Grandpa and the other Chris eventually found this out, and Gran and Grandpa found out he was their son in the process. They stopped Gideon from getting to Uncle Wyatt, but unfortunately, the other Chris ending up dying before he could go home and start his new life."

Jack stared.

"Holy shit" she breathed and Jessie snorted quietly.

"Yeah, that about sums it up" she muttered. Jack turned to her.

"But how did Aunt Lindsey come into it? And if he died, how are you two alive? And how come you weren't born until almost 25 years later?" she asked with a frown.

"Mom didn't just 'come into it' as you say, she was there all along. She went through everything right along with the Charmed Ones, and in the process, she fell in love with their visitor. After his fiancée betrayed him, he got closer to her and eventually loved her right back. They were meant to go back to the future together, but the other Chris died. So Mom came to the future by herself, met, or re-met I should say, Dad and after a lot of mucking around, they got their act together, got married and had us."

While Jack tried to process this, Vic raised his eyebrow at Jessie.

"_You seem to have left a large amount out there, sister dear"_ he told her quietly. Jessie scowled and looked away.

"_That's all she needs to know at the moment. We can tell her the rest later on if we have to." _

Vic snorted and shook his head. _"I can understand why Mom and Dad look at you strangely sometimes. From what they've told us, you actually really are quite a lot like him."_

Jack spoke before Jessie had the chance to retaliate to her twins comment. Which was probably a good thing, because she really had no idea what to say to it. She was like the other Chris? Was that a good or a bad thing?

"So if we bugger something up and change events, then Aunt Lindsey might not go to the future, re-meet Uncle Chris and have you two" she said slowly. Vic nodded.

"And that would probably mean that your Dad won't meet your Mom, considering our Mom basically introduced them" he said. Jack grimaced.

"Bye bye Jack" she muttered and then sighed heavily when Vic nodded again.

"So what do we do then?" she asked as she looked, rather desperately, between her two cousins. "This means that we can't really ask the Charmed Ones or Aunt Lindsey for help! If we do and inadvertently let something slip, everything could change!"

"Yes we can, we just have to be really, really careful" Vic answered.

"But before we even think of asking anyone for help, we need to see if we can fix this on our own" Jessie said. "You created the changed spell Jack. You should be able to come up with a reversal spell."

Jack looked pained. "To do that I need the Book. I can't remember the reversal spell for the original To Go Back In Time spell, and I'll need it to create a reversal spell for the changed spell."

"Is there even a reversal spell for the To Go Back In Time spell?" Vic asked curiously. Jack frowned and pointed her finger at him.

"Don't you dare jinx it. There has to one there" she said determinedly. Jessie's eyes narrowed.

"But you don't know, do you?" she asked softly. Jack quickly looked away from them.

"There will be. There _has_ to be" she mumbled. Jessie sighed.

"Well it looks like we need to do a little breaking and entering again" she said. "And this time we _won't_ get caught."

~0~

"Why isn't this working?! It was a very simple spell that should have a very simple reversal!"

As her Uncle tugged at his hair in frustration, Laura curled herself up on the sofa. Her eyes closed the instant her head met one of the pillows, and she quickly dragged them open again. She was so tired. It wasn't all that late, only early evening actually, but Laura felt like she'd run a marathon. Through deep, sucking mud. In incredibly large clown shoes.

_I guess this is what I get for basically ignoring anything to do with witchcraft for the past few years _she thought drowsily. She was so out of practise with the craft's basics, that helping to cast a few spells had completely exhausted her. She watched through heavy lidded eyes as her Aunt pulled Uncle Wyatt's hand away from his hair and bought it up to her lips to kiss it gently. They'd just spent the last few hours trying to bring the three young Halliwells back, but no matter what they tried, including the reversal spell Aunt Phoebe had come up with to the changed spell Jack had created, nothing was working. It was very exasperating and highly unusual for the Halliwell's, as most of the time they could get almost anything to work.

"Don't stress so much sweetie, we'll get them back" Aunt Phoebe said soothingly as she rubbed Uncle Wyatt's arm. "It's just going to take a little more creative thinking, that's all."

"We've been using creative thinking all day Phoebe. If I think anymore, my brain's going to explode."

Laura snickered softly as her Aunt glared at her Gran and the two of them started bickering as if they were the grandchildren instead of the grandparents. It escalated until Aunt Piper rolled her eyes, stepped in and separated them. Laura smiled slightly. It seems sibling rivalry was still alive and kicking within the oldest Halliwell generation. That was probably where Jessie and Vic got it from. She sighed at this thought. She really wanted Jessie back. She missed her best friend.

The seat beside her dipped as someone sat down on it, but she really couldn't find the energy to lift her head and see who it was.

"You right there sugar?"

Laura sighed again as her Aunt's soft twang washed over her. Aunt Riley had been living in San Francisco for many years now, but the South still weighed heavy in her voice. She turned her head slightly and smiled at the older woman, sleep blurring around the edges of it.

"I'm fine. Just tired. I guess I need a bit more practise at this."

"Why don't you head on home now? We can handle it from here" Aunt Riley suggested. Laura shook her head.

"No, I did this, I need to be here to help solve it" she said quietly. The older witch frowned.

"You won't be much help if you fall asleep on us hun. Go on home and help your Momma with the rest of our brood. She's sure to be glad to see you."

Laura sighed once more and sat up slowly. Aunt Riley was right. Falling asleep wouldn't help anyone with anything. Once she'd rested she could come back and help find the their lost children… She froze slightly and tilted her head to the side as something learnt long ago struggled to surface. Something about finding someone lost…

"Laura? What is it?" Aunt Riley asked into a dead patch of conversation, drawing everyone's attention. The younger girl squinted hard in thought, and then suddenly gasped as her thoughts crystalized.

"To Find A Lost Witch! The To Find A Lost Witch spell! We can use that!" she exclaimed as she shot off the sofa and headed towards the Book, her exhaustion forgotten. She flipped the pages until she found it.

"Here it is. To Call A Lost Witch" she corrected herself as she ran her finger down the page. She looked up excitedly at her Aunts, Uncles and Grandmother. "This will work, won't it? It has to!"

Aunt Piper pursed her lips and looked thoughtful.

"We've never used it through time before" she murmured. Laura huffed.

"Why wouldn't it work through time?" she asked impatiently. "Especially with all the power in this room! We've got the Charmed Ones, the Twice Blessed and a Ravenblood for goodness sake! How can it possibly not work?"

She watched eagerly as her relatives exchanged looks.

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" she quietly pleaded. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. No harm, no fowl, but at least we tried it."

_And I'll feel like I've actually contributed something_ she thought.

"Well I do believe it is worth a try" Aunt Riley said with a smile at Laura, who began to cheer inwardly.

"Hell, anything's worth a try at the moment" Aunt Lindsey muttered. Uncle Chris tugged her closer to him.

"Okay then Laura, it was your idea, why don't you set it up" Aunt Piper suggested as she made her way over to the younger witchlighter. Laura's eyes went round and heart seemed to freeze in her chest.

"Me?" she squeaked. "I shouldn't do it! I _can't_ do it! I'll do it wrong and then it definitely won't work!"

She looked down when everyone stared at her in shock, and raised her head again when someone put their hands on her shoulders. She looked up timidly into Aunt Lindsey's violet eyes.

"Just because you've focused your studies on becoming a doctor, doesn't mean you aren't still a Halliwell witch Laura Murphy. Yes, you are out of practise, but you've got everyone here right behind you, and if you make a mistake, well it'll be a learning experience won't it? You _are_ the best person to do this, and we all have absolute confidence in you."

Laura looked down again. They had confidence in her? Pity she didn't. She sighed.

"I can try" she whispered. Aunt Lindsey nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Oh, and if I ever here you say you can't do something before even trying again, I'll hang you from the ceiling with a whole heap of thorny rose vines. Capiche?"

Laura sucked in a breath sharply as that image ran through her mind. She looked up again and nodded quickly, completely believing her. Aunt Lindsey was just the type of person to do exactly what she'd threatened to do. It was where Jessie had gotten it from. She took a couple more deep breaths to calm her racing heart, picked up the Book and walked over to the mixing table. As she sat down and put the Book beside her, a Silver Mortar, a Pestle and a dagger were placed in front of her. She looked up and her nerves settled slightly as her Grandmother smiled at her confidently.

"You can do this little bit. I know you can."

Warmth flowed through her at the nickname Paige had given her when she was a child. She nodded and turned back to the table, picked up the ingredients that had also been put in front of her, and glanced at the Book.

She put a pinch of Rosemary, a sprig of Cypress and the Yarrow Root into the Mortar, and picked up the Pestle. She stopped just before she started to grind and looked around.

"Shouldn't we all say it? It'll make it stronger that way. And I think we should use Aunt Piper's, Aunt Lindsey's, Uncle Chris's, Aunt Riley's and Uncle Wyatt's blood. They're the ones who are directly related."

"That's a very good idea" Uncle Wyatt said as he took his wives hand and they both sat down beside the younger girl. Laura grinned and looked up happily when her Grandmother squeezed her shoulder

_Maybe I'm better at this then I thought_ she thought. She looked around as everyone crowded the table the correct people sat around it.

"Ready?" she asked. At their nods, she began to grind. She was the only one who needed to look at the Book as they all chanted:

_Power of the witches rise,  
__Course unseen across the skies,  
__Come to us who call you near,  
__Come to us and settle here._

Laura quickly passed around dagger and one by one, the two sets of parents and Grandmother pricked their fingers and let the blood drop into the Mortar. Laura continued grinding.

_Blood to blood, I summon thee,  
__Blood to blood, return to me._

Laura gasped as she felt power flow through her. An invisible wind picked up out of nowhere and the air seemed to vibrate. White, glowing lights appeared beside the group and flared brightly, before disappearing. Laura looked over eagerly and her mouth fell open.

Standing in front of them was most definitely _not_ her cousins. A single person stood there, looking rather bewildered. He was tall, with tied back, longish blue/black hair just starting to go grey, a large scar running down his face and deep green eyes. He blinked at them and frowned.

"Okay. Well this is unexpected" he said in a strong English accent, his gaze running curiously over the stunned speechless group. "Who are you all and what am I doing here?"

~0~

"Oh no, no, come _on!_ There has to be one here! Why would they create a spell without creating a reversal spell as well?!"

Jessie looked over at Jack's frantic whisper, and sighed as she watched her cousin flip angrily through the pages. It was the fifth time she'd searched, and she seemed to be expecting a different result every time. She groaned when she got to the end again, and put her head down on the Book.

"It's not here. There isn't one here" she mumbled. She tensed when Vic put his hand on her shoulder.

"Then we'll just have to make our own" he said. Jack lifted her head and glared at him.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?! I changed a time travel spell that didn't have a reversal spell! I'd need to write a reversal spell for the original spell, and then change it as well, to fit the changed spell!" she growled. Vic smiled at her in encouragement.

"Well, if anyone can do it, you can" he said cheerfully. "You're the one who's been studying with Aunt Phoebe."

Jack blinked at him and then looked over at Jessie. "Do you ever get sick of how optimistic he is?" she asked. Jessie laughed as Vic scowled.

"Yeah, but I'm here to balance him out, so it doesn't really get too annoying" she said with a grin. As Vic and Jack began to argue, she quickly opened her senses again, to check if the occupants of the house were still where they were supposed to be. There was only two people home at the moment and… yup, the other Chris in the kitchen, Uncle Wyatt in the living room, and no sign that they were coming up here anytime soon. They were safe for the moment. She tuned back into the conversation.

"…can't be that hard! If you'd just give it a go-"

"Of course I'm going to give it a go Vic! And you have no idea how hard it is to write a spell! You can't just whip one up, especially not one this intricate!"

"You didn't seem to have any trouble creating the changed spell" Vic stated with a frown. Jack scoffed.

"Yeah, because it wasn't a whole spell written from scratch! I just changed a couple of words, and I even did that wrong!" she exclaimed. Vic's frown deepened.

"Well maybe if you-"

"Quiet!" Jessie snapped, shutting the arguing pair up instantly. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, her senses open wide. There was something…

"There's evil in the house" she whispered, and suddenly sprang to her feet as her senses started screaming. She shot towards the attic door.

"Jessie!" Vic hissed as he took off after her. "What the hell are you doing?! You can't go down there!"

"There's evil in the house!" she snapped back at him. "In the living room with a two-year-old Uncle Wyatt!"

"What?!" Jack yelped as the three of them hurtled down the stairs, through the hallway and down the stairs again. Vic pulled them both to a stop before they cleared the first two steps.

"We can't!" he hissed again. "We can't help him! It could change something!"

"Screw that! I'm not letting my Dad get hurt!" Jack spat as she wrenched herself out of his grip and shot back into action, Jessie following her.

"He has an orb shield! He can't get hurt!" Vic growled. He cursed under his breath when he was ignored, and took off after them.

Jessie ran into the living room and gasped as she saw some type of demon trying his best to get through the orb shield that was surrounding Uncle Wyatt's playpen. She reacted without even thinking, threw up her hand and shot a wave of fire at the demon, vanquishing him instantly. She smirked slightly and turned, the smugness falling away as about fifteen more demons shimmered in. She looked at her brother.

"_Let's have some fun"_ she thought to him, laughing when he grinned widely back. They turned as one, and Jessie shot off more fire as Vic rolled out of the way of an energy ball, lifted his own hand and created great gusts of wind that threw the demons all over the place, smashing them into the walls, floor and ceiling. Beside them, Jack quickly lifted her hand as well and spread her fingers wide, exploding the molecular structure of the demon in front of her. She rushed over to her toddler father, just managing to avoid an energy ball in the process, and Jessie was slightly surprised when he let her pick him up. She formed a large orb shield around the two of them and continued to vanquish demons left and right through it.

Jessie steadied herself as her brother opened the earth to swallow the demons he had flung around like rag dolls. She threw herself to the ground to avoid an incoming energy ball, jumped up again and closed her hand into a fist, telekinetically crushing the demons windpipe that had thrown it. Vic raised both hands and began blowing the demons up as Jack continued her molecular destruction, her father in her arms all the while.

Soon the only evidence that the demons had even been there in the first place was the mess the fight had left behind. Jessie grinned triumphantly at her cousins, who grinned back, none of them noticing the other occupant of the room until he spoke. They all gasped and spun round to stare in shock at the young man with floppy brown hair and intense green eyes.

"Right, someone better tell me what the hell is going on here, and they better do it _now!_"

* * *

**Quick A/N - Don't you just love the Charmed Wiki? I know I sure do! ;) Right, review? Pretty please? Let me know what you think!**


	5. Glass half full?

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Four – Glass half full?**

"_Right, someone better tell me what the hell is going on here, and they better do it now!"_

* * *

The only sound in the windblown room as the three of young witchlighters stared at the frustrated and confused different version of their future relative, was the quiet giggle of a toddler who was amusing himself. Jessie swallowed hard. Shit, they'd really put their foot in it this time. What the hell did they do now? The other Chris was standing there with his arms crossed and his eyebrow winged, and if he was anything like her version of him – which going by her mother, he was – she knew he wouldn't let this go. He needed an answer.

So what do they do? Do they lie and throw away any chance of getting the help we may need to get home, or do they tell the truth and maybe put their own existence in jeopardy?

"_You know, I really love it when everything turns into a clusterfuck, don't you?" _

Jessie grimaced as Vic's cheerful little whisper rang through her mind. This was her fault. If she had listened to him and trusted that, even at this age, Uncle Wyatt could have taken care of himself, then they wouldn't be in this mess. Vic may be the more irresponsible of the two of them, but when it came to the big things – like walking head first into a dangerous situation – he was definitely more sensible than she was. Jessie fully admitted that she had a bit of a hero complex that got in the way a lot of the time. She'd lost count of how many times her family had told her to butt out, when to her she'd only been trying to help them.

"Excuse me?! I'm waiting!"

Jessie looked at her brother in a panic. _"Oh Jesus, what the hell do we do now?"_

"_Should've really thought of that before you charged down the stairs like an avenging angel sis." _

Jessie glowered at him. _"Oh shut the hell up Victor and help me get our asses out of the fire!"_

"_Fine, fine, no need to get yourself all in a tizz." _He frowned and looked at her calmly. _"I think we should tell him the truth."_

Jessie nearly choked on her breath. _"What?! We can't! We have no idea what that might change!"_

"_Not the whole truth Jessie, my dear. Just enough that he gives us the help we need. And you have to admit, we do need help."_ At his sister's barely noticeable nod, he continued. _"It'll be the best way to avoid involving Mom, Gran and the Aunts. And maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to go home without getting into major trouble when we get there! You don't want to be grounded for the next ten years do you?"_

"_Of course I don't, but can we risk it?"_

Vic pursed his lips. _"Running down here to help Uncle Wyatt may have changed things already, so the risk doesn't really matter at the moment. We have to tell him something, and we can't just tell him that we're random people from the future. Considering that he is as well, he won't except that. So as long as we don't tell him the main things, like what's going to happen to him by the end of the year, we should be fine."_

Jessie sighed and her eyes flicked over to meet Jack's. The younger girl was more then used to her twin cousins having silent conversations, so she was able to pick up the signs when they were. She was watching them closely with narrowed eyes, her father still in her arms and her orb shield still very much in place. Jessie widened her eyes at her, lifted her hand and brought it down again. Jack frowned, but did what she asked, slowly lowering her shield. Jessie then used an aspect as her telepathy that both her and Vic generally left alone. She opened a connection between her and her cousin.

Jack flinched slightly as the connection was made, her eyes widening. It was the first time Jessie had done it with her, as well as it being one of only a few times she'd done it altogether. Projecting your thoughts into someone else's mind gave you the chance to see into and read that mind during the time the connection was active. It didn't matter when she and Vic talked to each other, as they were always in each other's minds. They were a part of each other and it felt wrong whenever they were separated. But with anyone else, it was just plain evasive, so the twins tried to avoid using it as much as possible. The mind is and should be a very private thing.

"_Follow our lead" _Jessie whispered in Jack's head. The younger girl's eyes narrowed again before she gave a slight nod. Jessie sighed in relief, quickly broke the connection and turned back to the other Chris, who was still standing there, impatiently watching them, his eyes catching and following every little nuance of movement. Jessie took a deep breath.

"Okay, the first thing you should know is that we're not evil" she said quietly. Chris smiled humourlessly.

"That's what they all say" he deadpanned. Jessie frowned and Vic grinned.

"Yeah, well, this time it's the truth" Vic said cheerfully. "But you want proof? Just look at the squirt over there. You know that he was extremely good senses, and he's just letting Jack carry him without a shield in sight."

Chris frowned, his eyes narrowing on Jack and his brother, who at the moment seemed to be fascinated with Jack's hair. A multitude of emotions flowed across his face, confusion the main one. He looked at Vic again, and he frowned as the younger man's eyes lit and his grin widened.

"But here's the best proof" he said. He winked at Jessie, turned to the wrecked room and began to speak.

_Let the object of objection,  
__Become but a dream,  
__As I cause the seen,  
__To be unseen._

Jessie's frown deepened as the familiar white lights began to zoom around the room, quickly restoring it to its former glory. Vic meet Jessie's gaze and he raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he asked innocently as she scowled at him. "I figure we've already overdosed on Personal Gain, a little bit more shouldn't hurt."

"I agree. Besides, you know what Gra- ah, Piper will say if she sees the place like it was. She'll freak" Jack said and her and Vic grinned at each other. Jessie sighed and shook her head. They turned back to the other Chris when he made an irritated noise.

"That was a Book of Shadows spell. How the hell do you know a Book of Shadows spell?" he asked, confusion and frustration ripe in his voice. Jessie sighed again and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Right, let's start at the beginning. My name is Jessie. The annoying guy over there-" she pointed at Vic, who was still grinning, "-his name is Vic and he's my brother. The girl that your brother is fascinated with, her name is Clementine, but we call her Jack."

"And you can too please. I hate that name" Jack muttered.

"She's our cousin" Jessie continued, ignoring the younger girl. "We are not demons or warlocks or anything on the evil side of the scale. Like you, we're both witch and whitelighter-"

"More witch than anything else" Vic interrupted. Jessie ignored him as well.

"-and the reason you caught us in the attic earlier today was because we were going through the Book, looking for a reversal spell. _Someone_" she said with a glare at Jack, who looked away sheepishly, "performed a spell that took all three of us back into the past and so far we have had absolutely no luck in getting ourselves home again."

Chris looked dumbfounded at this revelation. "You're from the future?" he asked. "How far into the future?"

"_Don't tell him that!" _Jessie told Vic as he went to answer. He frowned at her and shook his head.

"Sorry man, can't really give you that answer. Future consequences and all that" Vic said in a sly voice. Jessie couldn't help the snort that came out of her mouth at her brother's sentence. Vic grinned at her, completely in agreement. Using his own words against him? Priceless. She turned back to the rather shell-shocked witchlighter.

"All we can really tell you is that we know the Halliwell family, we have no idea how to get home and we really need your help, preferably without, ah, Lindsey or the Charmed Ones finding out that we're here" Jessie explained. Chris frowned before sighing and shoving his hand through his hair.

"Lord, I really don't have time for this" he muttered. Vic scoffed.

"Sure you do. We're from the future dude, further even than you are. Trust me when I say, time's one thing you do have. And the secrecy shouldn't be a problem, as you've already had experience with that. Do the Charmed Ones know who you are yet?"

Chris's mouth fell open and his eyes narrowed. Jessie groaned.

"_Great Vic, just let him know exactly who we are, why don't you?"_

"_That's not letting him know who we are sis. It's just confirming that we do know the Halliwell's. And he's going to realise that we know who he is and why he's here sooner or later. If we don't keep as many secrets, it might gain his trust a little easier."_

"Yes they do, and obviously you do as well" Chris said. "How do you?"

Vic raised a finger and wagged it back and forth. "Uh, uh, uh. Future consequences. You'll just have to do what you're asking the Halliwell's to do in this time."

"What's that?" the older man asked suspiciously. Vic grinned.

"Trust me" he said. "You can do that, can't you Pops?"

"_VICTOR!"_

"_What? He won't know! He'll just think I'm referring to him being older than me!"_

"What are you two doing?" Chris asked suddenly. "There's a weird vibe going between the two of you every once in a while."

"They're talking to each other in their heads. They have shared telepathy. Annoying isn't it?" Jack said. Both Jessie and Vic turned and glared at the girl, who laughed, hitched her father up further and held up her remaining hand.

"Well it is! Aunt Lin- ah, your Mom is right! It's rude to exclude people when you're not the only ones in the room!"

Jessie glowered at her cousin. That was the second slipup she had almost made! Jack grimaced and shrugged an apology, to which Jessie gave a pointed look, clearly saying _don't do it again_.

Chris watched all this closely. He suddenly blew out a heavy breath, turned around and headed for the stairs.

"Well let's get this over with then. We need to get you home as soon as possible, before you do some major damage to the timeline."

"Says the guy who travelled back to change a major event completely" Jessie muttered. Both Jack and Vic snorted before they all followed him up the stairs.

~0~

"Well that's it. I've tried everything I can think of. You may have been right when you said you've overdosed on Personal Gain, because it's the only reason I can think of why nothing is working. The universe must be teaching you a lesson."

"A lesson?! For performing a tiny little time spell that was only meant to take us back two weeks? That's bullshit! There has to be something we haven't tried!"

Jessie watched as her cousin paced agitatedly around the attic. She'd been getting more and more upset the longer they spent trying to correct her mistake and not succeeding. She was the best out of all the cousins at writing and casting her own spells, and Jessie knew that this must be a huge blow to her pride. Vic got up, tugged her to a stop and pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey, calm down cuz, we'll figure something out" he said quietly as he rubbed her back. Jack sniffed.

"I don't want to be trapped here Vic. I want to go home, to my own time, where everything and everyone is how it should be" she mumbled against his chest in a waterlogged voice. Vic sighed.

"You're not the only one kiddo. I've got a date tonight remember? Lisa's going to be pining for me if I don't show up" he joked. Jack snorted softly and stepped back.

"You wish" she muttered as she wiped her wet face. She blinked at the sudden tinkle of orbing, looking down as baby Wyatt appeared beside her. They'd put him down for a nap before they'd reached the attic, almost as hour ago, but it seems like he was up and about now. She gave a watery laugh as he reached up, clearly wanting to be in her arms again.

"He really likes you" the other Chris murmured in confusion as Jack picked the toddler up, carried him over to the sofa, sat down and buried her face against his body.

_Might have something to do with her coming from his loins, _Jessie thought.

"_Eww Jessie, please don't go there" _Vic pleaded. Jessie snorted quietly and went over to sit by her cousin, who still had her face resting against toddler Uncle Wyatt's chest. The baby didn't seem to mind. He was once again playing with her hair. Jessie rested her hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezed it in comfort. She wasn't as demonstrative as her brother was, but she knew how to get her point across. Jack sighed.

"I'm sorry Jessie. Sorry I dragged you into this. It's my fault we can't get home" she whispered in a muffled voice. Jessie huffed.

"Enough with the defeatist attitude Jack. We will get home. We just have to find the right way."

"But what if we don't?" Jack whispered, still hiding her face in the comfort of the toddler who would one day be her father. Jessie scowled.

"We _will._ But… but if we don't, well this isn't too bad a year to continue our lives in. We just have to make sure everything happens the way it should. But we're not going to think about that too much yet. We've only been here one day Jack." She lowered her voice and leaned into her cousin so that only she could hear her. "What's one of Grams's favourite sayings?"

Jack sighed, finally looked up into Jessie's encouraging eyes and whispered the saying they all heard nearly every time Grams visited.

"_We're witches, dear. We can do anything._"

Jessie nodded. "That's right. We can do whatever we want if we put our minds to it. And with all three-" she looked at the other Chris who was still flipping through the Book with a frown on his face, "-well, four of us here I guess, we will find a way home."

"I hope so" Jack murmured and then grimaced when her father began knocking her on the cheek with his fist. Jessie laughed.

"See? Even he's thinks you're not looking on the bright side enough. Everything will be fine Jack. We will get home. I promise."

"_You shouldn't make promises you may not be able to keep sis" _Vic warned quietly in her head. Jessie ignored him and turned back to the other Chris as a thought occurred to her.

"What about Clyde? He might be able to help us" she suggested. The other Chris shook his head.

"He's retired, or at least he is in my future" he said.

"But we're not in your future, are we? We're only a year or two past when he let Paige relive her past. He's probably still around now" Jessie said with a frown.

"It still wouldn't work though. He lets people relive their past; he doesn't take people back into the future! But… hold on, what about the Time Keepers? They might be able to-"

The other Chris abruptly stopped talking and all four of their heads snapped towards the doorway as they heard the front door slamming closed and heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Chris? Are you up there?"

Jack's hand suddenly viced onto Jessie's arm and Jessie and Vic stared at each other in horror. All three of them recognised the voice. They'd heard it many times over the years, both scolding and comforting them. And if there was one thing that would never change about Piper Halliwell, it was the way her voice could ring through the house and stop them in their tracks.

"Chris, honey?"

Jessie shot up from the sofa, dragging Jack up as well. She took the toddler out of Jack's arms and rushed him over to Chris before dashing over to Vic and taking his hand. She reached out for Jack's hand as their Gran began walking up the stairs leading to the attic.

"Come on Chris, I know you're up there. Lindsey said you're babysitting today."

"Invisibility spell!" Jessie hissed at the other two. Jack and Vic's eyes widened and they nodded. Together, they all began to recite the spell, rushing to get through it before their Gran came through the doorway.

_Let us here,  
__Within the Warren line,  
__Fade from their sight,  
__Obscure in body and mind._

Jessie looked at the doorway in panic as an almost solid silver light appeared above their heads and slowly ran over them, making them invisible to the naked eye. She exhaled in a large sigh of relief as, just as the light reached the floor and vanished, their Gran walked through the door. All three of them went still in shock when they saw her. Piper Halliwell was _very _pregnant, about six-seven months by the looks of it. It was weird seeing her like that, especially considering she was carrying the Chris Halliwell that they all knew _really_ well. Plus there was the fact that she was in her 30's and she most certainly looked like it. There was hardly a wrinkle in sight and her hair was still brown. Jessie found it very disconcerting.

Their Gran stepped further into the attic and frowned her son, who was holding baby Wyatt awkwardly, looking like trying his best not to gawk in the direction of the invisible visitors.

"What's wrong Peanut? Why didn't you answer me?"

Jessie's hand slapped onto Vic's mouth as he began to choke with laughter. She only just stopped herself from laughing as well. Peanut? Jesus, talk about a mortifying nickname! It might have been okay when he was a kid, but now? Chris put his brother down and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, yeah, sorry Mom, was a little caught up. I didn't hear you."

Piper groaned. "Oh God, Chris, please tell me you didn't find _another_ demon for us to go after?" she pleaded.

Chris frowned. "You know we need to go after as many as we can before I'm born Mom" he muttered. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"No you don't as it isn't a demon" Jack whispered just a little too loudly. Her eyes widened and her hand clapped over her mouth as both Jessie and Vic turned and glared at her, and Piper frowned and looked around the room.

"Did you hear that?" she asked.

Chris swallowed. "Hear what?" he asked innocently. Piper listened for a while more and then shook her head.

"Never mind. I came to ask if you're going to be here for dinner tonight. Thought I might ask Paige to pop over to Hong Kong and pick up Phoebe. We could have a family dinner."

_Hong Kong? _Jack mouthed in surprise. Jessie agreed with her. When had Aunt Phoebe been in Hong Kong and why didn't they know about it? She shook the thought away and tuned back into the conversation. Chris was looking intrigued.

"Sure Mom! With all three of you here, we could really knock a few demons of the list!" he said enthusiastically. Jessie held back her laughter again as Piper scowled.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell, we will _not_ be demon hunting tonight! I mean it Chris!" she said as he went to protest. "We are going to have a nice family dinner, and nothing demonic is going to take place!"

Jessie groaned silently as Vic and Jack both breathed out at the same time, "Jinx." If there was one thing you _never_ did in the Halliwell family, it was to state that nothing evil was going to happen. As soon as you did, then they'd be a very high chance that something would happen. Unfortunately, this Piper didn't seem to know that as yet. Chris looked at her in disbelief.

"Whatever you say Mom" he said and then held up his hands when Piper glared. "Okay, okay, I'll be here!"

"Good" Piper sated with a nod. "It'll be at six. And don't you and Lindsey be late mister. Keep your, ah, _shenanigans _on hold until later tonight. I'm sure Paige really doesn't want to walk in on you two again, like she did last time I sent her after you."

Jessie's body shook with suppressed laughter as Chris went bright red and beside her, Vic made an almost silent strangled sound in the back of his throat. Shenanigans huh? Fantastic! She now had something to hold over her father when he got too overprotective!

Chris seemed to be lost for words as he stared at his mother and slowly nodded. She smiled at him.

"Okay then. Hey baby boy!" she said as she held her hand out to Wyatt. "You want to the market with me? We've need to get the ingredients for dinner tonight!"

Uncle Wyatt smiled sweetly, tottled over to her and took her hand. She picked him up, grunting slightly at the weight of a two-year-old as well as being pregnant, and headed out the door.

"Remember, Chris, six o'clock. Don't be late" she called over her shoulder. Wyatt waved at them and giggled.

"We won't be" Chris called back, and then turned to the three time travellers as the spell wore off now that the person they wanted to hide from was no longer in the room. Jessie shook off the tingling numbness the spell always left behind and looked her brother.

"I guess that gives us a couple more hours before we have to vacate the premises. We can't be here when all the sister's and Lindsey are here" she said. Vic nodded in agreement and clapped his hands.

"Right. Two hours. Let's get to it people!" he said.

"Hold on" Chris said slowly. "There's just one thing before we start looking again."

"What?" Jessie asked impatiently. They had a time limit! Why was he holding them up?

"I was just wondering if you could maybe explain how you were able to use a spell that clearly only witches of the Warren line can use?" he asked calmly. Too calmly. "Unless you are Warren witches, which, of course would mean you're related to me. Care to elaborate anyone?"

* * *

**Quick A/N - Ahh, my first made up spell! What did you think? Did you like it? Did it fit? Please let me know in a review! **


	6. The truth is out there

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Five – The truth is out there**

"_I was just wondering if you could maybe explain how you were able to use a spell that clearly only witches of the Warren line can use?" he asked calmly. Too calmly. "Unless you are Warren witches, which, of course would mean you're related to me. Care to elaborate anyone?"_

* * *

Oh shit. Jessie swallowed hard, her eyes automatically seeking out her brother. He looked as surprised and panicked as she felt. This wasn't part of the plan! She swallowed again and looked at Chris, whose gaze was flicking between the three younger witches over and over again.

"Ah… we… can't really tell you that?" Jessie mumbled, swiftly looking away from him when he looked in her direction. "It could wreck everything and we don't really want to go back to-"

"Oh come on, I've used that line myself too many times to count! And look where it got me! The Charmed Ones still found out who I was, and them knowing actually made it easier for me to do what I came here to do!"

"But you came back to correct things! It was your goal all along, so it didn't really change anything when you were caught. As long as you convinced everyone of your reasons for coming back, you were fine. We can't have anyone know who we, because if they know, it could change our future completely! A single word could prevent someone from doing something crucial to our existence!"

The other Chris frowned in frustration as he met Jessie's eyes. She put all the pleading into them she could manage. He had to see their side of things! It was incredibly important that they get home before they do any more damage!

"Umm, Jessie? Maybe we _should_ tell him. Give him a little something starting with H?"

Jessie spun round to stare at her cousin in shock. Jack's gaze was focused on Chris and her brow was furrowed. She looked like she was trying to figure something out.

"What the hell are you talking about Jack? We can't tell him!" she exclaimed. Jack frowned further.

"Not everything Jessie. Just who we are. I think… I think he needs to know. It's important that he knows. He's _meant _to know."

Jessie folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "And how do you figure that?" she questioned. "I wasn't aware that you suddenly came into the power of premonition."

Jack flinched slightly at Jessie's heavily sarcastic statement, but she held her ground. She met her cousin's eyes determinedly.

"Connect with me" she said.

Jessie blinked in surprise. "What?" she asked.

"Connect with me. And you too Vic. He needs to know and you need to know the reason why I think he needs to know. This way he'll only know what he needs to know."

"I think we need to talk amongst ourselves just to sort through that confusing sentence" Vic said with a wink at Jack, who flushed slightly. He turned to look at his sister. "We can at least hear her out Jessie."

"Hey, what about me? You can't just leave me standing here, drifting in the wind!" Chris growled. Jessie looked at him.

"If you want any type of explanation at all, you need to be patient" she told him pointedly. She threw her brother a glare when he snorted under his breath.

"_Channelling Mom there sis?" _he whispered cheekily. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Jack.

"Fine. Let's get this over with" she said in a resigned voice. She rolled her eyes again when Jack fairly beamed at her. She met Vic's eyes briefly before they both turned to Jack.

"_You better do it Jessie, and draw me in with you. It'll be far too painful if we both make our own connection"_ Vic said. Jessie nodded, hooked Vic into her and sent a small shaft into Jack's mind.

The younger girl flinched again at the intrusion and visibly swallowed. Jessie tried her best not to hurt her too much, but unfortunately it was unavoidable. The tiny link she had made earlier with Jack hadn't hurt because it was quick and not all that deep. But for Jack to explain to both of them her musings, the connection had to be extended and a lot deeper.

She spread herself out slightly, trying to limit and dull the pinpoints of pain Jack would be experiencing. At the same time she focused entirely on Jack's presence, ignoring everything else going on in her head. It was hard, as the thoughts and images were very distracting, but both her and Vic did their best. The maps and pathways in other people's minds weren't theirs to explore.

"_Okay Jack, you have the floor" _Vic said. Jessie felt the girl hesitate, not used to communicating this way.

"_Just think it and we'll hear it" _she said calmly.

"_Oh. OKAY, WELL I WAS THINKING-"_

Jessie and Vic both winced as her voice boomed through their minds. Jessie quickly held up her hand.

"_Stop! You don't need to shout! We'd be able to hear you if you were whispering, such volume isn't necessary!" _

Jack looked sheepish.

"_Oh sorry. Umm, well I was just wondering… how did Aunt Lindsey know to come to the future?"_

Jessie frowned and looked at her cousin incredulously. Why the hell did she want to know that for?

"_Chris told her to. An Angel of Destiny told them that they could go back together, but when Chris was dying, he told her to come on her own. He promised to remember her and said that they'd have a life together when she got there. Apparently he was pretty insistent about it and wouldn't take no for an answer. What does this have to do with anything?" _Vic asked with a frown. Jack nodded in confirmation

"_That's what I thought. Don't you think it's funny that he knew she had to go to the future? That he was so positive they would get together once she did? And why would he make a promise to remember her? There was an incredibly high chance he wouldn't. So how could he be so sure?"_

Jessie blinked at her in confusion. _"He was dying and he loved her. Her going to the future was the only way they could be together."_

"_Yes, but how was he so sure they would be together?" _Jack asked, her eyes sifting between Vic and Jessie. _"Going by what you said, it was almost as if he knew something she didn't." _She shrugged._ "At least that's what I think."_

Jessie's eye's widened as what Jack was saying slid into place and just sort of… clicked in her mind. She met her brother's eyes and he looked as surprised as she felt. She turned back to Jack as Vic's shocked and slightly thrilled laughter echoed through their minds.

"_You're saying that we have to tell him? That basically the only way we can guarantee that we'll be born is that we tell him who we are?" _she asked slowly. Jack gave a hesitant nod.

"_It makes sense to me" _she said quietly.

"_Ha! The reason we were born is because future us came back and told the other Chris information that would make sure that we were born!" _Vic exclaimed through his laughter. _"Man, this family is seriously twisted up in time! It's like that chicken and egg thing! Which came first? Us being born or us going back to guarantee we were born?! The chicken or the egg? Cluck, cluck! Haha!"_

Jessie and Jack shared an exasperated look as Vic continued to ramble on about poultry, occasionally clucking and laughing even harder when he did.

"_Cluck, cluck-"_

"_Victor?" _Jessie said very sweetly. He turned to look at her, grinning his head off and still snickering to himself.

"_Yes fellow chicken? Or is it egg?" _he answered cheerfully. Jessie bared her teeth at him.

"_Can you please stop being your usual annoyingly idiotic self and shut the hell up?" _she requested in a chipper tone. Vic pouted.

"_Awww, Jessie, you're no fun." _He sighed heavily and shook his head. _"I just don't understand how my own twin sister can have next to no sense of humour. It's deplorable, I tell you. Absolutely deplorable."_

She ignored him and turned back to Jack. _"What happens if we do this and it has terrible consequences?" _she asked. Jack sighed.

"_I think we may have to take the chance"_ she said. She glanced over at Chris, who was staring at the three of them with a frustrated and impatient frown on his face. _"I also think we may not have much of a choice. This Chris seems like the type of person who would refuse to continue helping us unless he gets what he wants."_

Jessie closed her eyes brought her hand up to rub the bridge of her nose. _"I agree. Okay, so then we have a decision to make. Do we tell him the truth or do we make up a convenient lie? Jack, you say tell him the truth?"_ The younger girl nodded and Jessie turned to Vic. _"What about you? Truth or lie?"_

Vic pursed his lips in thought, his foolishness put aside _"Honestly I agree with Jack. Her theory does make a lot of sense. Plus I also agree with what she said earlier. Telling him who we are will give him that H word. Hope" _he said when Jessie just looked at him_. "It'll also make him work harder towards achieving what he came here for. Mom and the Charmed Ones won't appreciate how much more neurotic it'll probably make him, but they'll just have to live with it"_ he said with a grin.

"_So you vote yes?"_ Jessie asked. She frowned when Vic nodded, and he sighed.

"_What's holding you back Jessie? Don't you want to make him happy?" _he asked.

Jessie frowned further. _"I do, of course I do, but I'm also worried about giving him false hope."_

"_False hope?" _Jack asked, confused. Jessie nodded.

"_He dies Jack. If we tell him who we are and he's happy and excited about it, he'll be crushed when Gideon stabs him and he realises that we aren't his children after all. He'll think we lied to him."_

"_But you are his Jessie. Just because a different version of him conceived you-"_

"_Ugh!"_

"_-doesn't mean you aren't still his." _Jack continued, both girls ignoring Vic's disgusted shudder completely. _"Maybe that's another reason why he was so insistent that Aunt Lindsey still went to the future. Maybe he realised that it was the him in the changed future who got the life he wanted. It'll still be him. Maybe he's okay with that."_

Jessie stared at her cousin in surprise. _"When did you get so smart?" _she asked. Jack grinned.

"_I've always been this brainy Jess, you've just never noticed before"_ she said as she blew on her fingernails and buffed them against her shirt. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"_Okay, I guess we have a story to tell"_ she said. _"Not everything though. Just who we are and how we're related to him. As much as it pains me to say this, we can't tell him his fate. He'll try and change it and that could be disastrous for us."_

Deciding that they'd been in Jack's head long enough, she began to withdraw as soon as Vic and Jack nodded. She stopped when Jack said her name.

"_He promised to remember right? So does he?" _she asked. Jessie and Vic looked at each other.

"_No" _Vic said quietly. Jack winced.

"_Ouch. Damn that's gotta hurt" _she muttered.

"_Yeah, Mom and Dad didn't have a peaceful easy ride, but they did sort themselves out eventually" _Vic said.

"_Which is a good thing, otherwise we wouldn't be here"_ Jessie said and then rolled her eyes for what felt like the tenth time when Vic put his hands over his ears and began to hum loudly. She disconnected from Jack, grabbed Vic's hands and tugged them down, and turned back to the other Chris, who was scowling at them.

"So finally going to let me in on the conversation are you?" he snarled sarcastically. Jessie shook her head. Her Mom was right about him being grumpy all the time.

"Maybe you should sit down" she suggested. Chris scowled further and folded his arms.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you" Jessie muttered on a sigh.

"Okay, I'll start shall I?" Jack said with an eager smile. "You know how Wyatt likes me? Well," she continued when Chris nodded, "that's because… umm, well, he's sorta my Dad."

Chris's mouth fell open. "What?" he said blankly after a long, tense moment.

"He's my Dad" Jack said again in a quiet voice.

All three of them watched him closely as Chris froze in shock. After a few minutes he began to move again, slowly walking over to the sofa and lowering himself onto it. His face was blank, giving them no indication of what he was thinking and how he was taking the news. He leaned forward and stared at the floor expressionlessly, drawing in deep breaths.

"Is he good?" he asked suddenly. His head shot up and looked at Jack, who squirmed slightly under his intense gaze. "Are you the daughter of the Ruler of All Evil?"

Jack snorted loudly, trying her best not to laugh at that question. "He's evil when he makes me clean my room instead of letting me hang out with my friends" she muttered. "But apart from that, he's as pure as the driven snow."

"I wouldn't call him 'pure as the driven snow' Jack. You are here, after all" Jessie said, shaking her head again as Vic began to mumble to himself about not hearing this, it was all just a figment of his imagination.

"So he's not evil?" Chris interrupted impatiently. Jack grinned at him.

"Nope. The Twice Blessed is very much on the side of good" she said. Her grin widened when Chris visibly sagged in relief.

"So you must be doing something good. Uncle." Jack teased him. He smiled at her wanly and then looked at the twins.

"Who are you two then?" he asked. He suddenly blinked and his eyes narrowed as he meet Jessie's gaze, as if he was seeing something for the first time. "Those eyes…"

"Well, well. It seems Pops is smarter then he looks" Vic said cheekily. Jessie walked over and smacked him across the back of the head. "Ow!"

She once again ignored him and turned back to Chris, whose gaze was fixed solidly on them. "My, ah, my full name is J-Jessica Charlotte H-Halliwell" she said in a shaky voice. This was harder then she thought it would be.

Chris's eyes narrowed further. "Lindsey's mother's name is Jessica" he murmured.

"Yup, it sure is. And I'm Victor. Victor Warren Halliwell. Pleasure to make your acquaintance Pappy" Vic said with an exaggerated bow. Jack laughed as Jessie groaned silently.

"Grandpa" Chris muttered, staring at them, his eyes becoming unfocused. Jessie could literally see the moment it hit him. His eyes cleared and he gawked at them in shock. "Jesus Christ, you're _mine?_"

"Yay, he gets it! My versions of the word 'father' didn't go to waste!"

"And Lindsey's" Jessie answered Chris quietly, her brother once again being ignored by the room at large.

"Where else would we get one violet eye from?" Vic continued, walking over and flicking through the Book. Chris tracked his progress.

"We do it. We win."

Jessie looked at Jack when she heard Chris's astonished whisper. She could very clearly hear the hope in his voice. She smiled at Jack as the younger witch grinned at her. Things were looking up. Maybe they'd done the right thing after all.

"Only if you help get us home" she said, swallowing as Chris's eyes shot back in her direction. "We really can't stay here, and you can't tell anyone else about us either. It could change everything, and that would be very bad."

"Yes" he said as he held her gaze for a long moment before suddenly looking away and standing up. "Yes it would be. So let's get on to it then, and get you all home as soon as possible. I'm, ah, I'm sure your parents are worried about you."

~0~

The group in the future sat in stupefied silence as they stared at the stranger standing in front of them. Laura swallowed hard as disappointment surged through her. It hadn't worked. Jessie, Vic and Jack were still stuck somewhere in the past, and a foreigner was standing where they should have been. And it was probably because of her.

Her hands clenched on her knees, her eyes dropped to the floor and her mouth set in a hard line. She _knew_ she shouldn't have been the one to cast the spell! She was no way near powerful enough, and she had hardly any experience in casting. To cast such a big spell… it had been a disaster waiting to happen!

A movement caught her eye and, pushing aside her self-blame for the moment, she looked up to see her Aunt Piper getting to her feet. They needed to figure out what was going on.

"Hi. I'm Piper Halliwell" the eldest of the sisters said to the stranger. "And you are?"

"Benjamin Rothman" he answered. He cocked his head in question. "Piper Halliwell? You're a Charmed One aren't you?"

Aunt Piper nodded. "Yes I am. And I guess that answers my question about whether you're a witch or not." She waved her hand behind her. "This is the rest of my family. We're sorry to pluck you away from whatever you were doing, but I honestly have no idea what you're doing here."

The stranger looked confused. "You don't? But you called me. How could you not know the reason for it?"

"It wasn't you we were calling" Aunt Lindsey said as she too got to her feet. "Three of our children cast a spell that went wrong, and they're now stuck at some point in the past. We were trying a spell that would hopefully call them back to us. But somehow you came instead."

"You must have come for a reason though" Aunt Piper said. "After all, magic works in mysterious ways. Maybe you can help us?"

"Well yeah, sure, I'll try, but I don't see how. I'm not the one in my family-"

Benjamin's words were interrupted by the air vibrating. Everyone except Laura jumped to their feet in defence as someone was suddenly just… there. One second the air was empty, the next a person occupied it. The new stranger looked to be in his late 20's, early 30's. His dark auburn hair fell over his forehead messily and his deep green eyes held curiosity as they looked around the attic. The older man, Benjamin, frowned at the newcomer.

"What are you doing here?" he asked him. The stranger looked at him in amusement.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're talking to me fine and dandy, and then suddenly white lights are swirling around you and you're gone. Since I wasn't aware of you suddenly developing the power to transport yourself, I figured I better go after you."

Benjamin sighed. "You know, I can take care of myself Maxwell."

"I'm aware of that, but I can go anywhere I want, so I'm not going to sit around while you're in trouble. Though it doesn't look like you're trouble" the second stranger said as he looked around again. "Where the bloody hell are we?"

"You're in San Francisco" Uncle Chris said. He was watching the two new arrivals closely. "Wanna tell us who you are and what you're doing here?"

"Well you already know what I'm doing here. I followed him" he said, pointing a thumb at Benjamin. "The name's Maxwell Rothman. Now do_ you_ wanna tell me why you called my Dad?"

"We didn't call him" Uncle Wyatt answered. "We tried to call our children, but he came instead."

"Maxwell Rothman? Maxwell Alexander Rothman?" Laura's Grandmother asked. The man nodded, looking confused. "I've heard of you. You're a Time Keeper aren't you?"

"I am. Not many people know of the Time Keepers. Who are you?" he asked.

"They're the Charmed Ones, Max. Their children are missing in time. Maybe you can help them?"

Maxwell looked around for the third time, the interest in his eyes tripled. "The Charmed Ones? And their families I take it. Blimey, there must be a lot of power in this room. Why can't you lot find them yourselves?"

Aunt Riley ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "You would think we'd be able to, but nothin' is workin'. It's like the universe is against us" she said.

Maxwell shrugged. "It probably is. If your kids were meant to go back in time, there's nothing you can do to get them back until they've accomplished what they went back for. Fate can be a bitch at times" he said with a grin.

"Tell me about it" Aunt Piper muttered.

"I can look at helping you, but I'll need something to focus on. A picture of your wayward children perhaps?"

"You can find them from a picture?" Uncle Chris asked. Maxwell nodded.

"We think I have a little Whitelighter somewhere in my unknown family tree. I can sense someone I don't know as long as I have a picture of them or something physical that's theirs" he explained.

"Unknown family tree?" Aunt Phoebe questioned as both Uncle Chris and Uncle Wyatt held out their hands and photos appeared in them in a swirl of orbs. "Didn't you say Benjamin was your father?"

"He is" Maxwell said as he walked over to the brothers. "But we aren't biologically related. I'm adopted." He took the photos and scanned them, his body going still as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well I'll be" he murmured, heading back over to his father and showing him one of the photos. "Look familliar?"

Benjamin's eyes widened as well. "Huh. Unless you know of another pair of twins that share one green and one purple eye, it seems we've finally found out why Michael sent us to that Wiccaning."

"It seems we have" Maxwell answered quietly, his eyes still on the photo. He looked up at the family again. "I'll leave Dad to explain all that to you. Right now I've got some kids to find."

He handed the photos to Aunt Lindsey, the air vibrated again and then he was gone, just as suddenly as he'd arrived.

* * *

**A/N - So... questions? Comments? Good or bad, let me know what you think. It's my birthday tomorrow, so you all could leave me a present in the form of a review! ;-P Oh, and a huge thumbs up to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited so far. You all rock! **


	7. There's no place like

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Six – There's no place like…**

_He handed the photos to Aunt Lindsey, the air vibrated again and then he was gone, just as suddenly as he'd arrived._

* * *

Everyone turned to look at Benjamin after his son had disappeared. He stood there staring at the empty piece of air where Maxwell had been standing, a frown on his face. As if suddenly feeling the gazes that were now focused on him, he stiffened slightly and turned to face the room. His frown deepened.

"You know, I swear I'm going to kill that boy. He always does this. Just takes off and leaves me to clean up the mess. It's quite annoying" he said conversationally. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, dislodging it from its loose ponytail. The long strands fell forward, the colour sifting between heavy black and blue/black depending on the way the light hit it. "Okay then, out with it" he said, making a 'come here' gesture with his fingers.

"A Wiccanin'? What Wiccanin'? What was he talkin' about?" Aunt Riley asked.

_And what the hell is a Timekeeper?_ Laura thought. She didn't want to ask it aloud, as it was probably something she should have already known.

"Right, I'll start from the beginning, shall I?" Benjamin asked, raising an eyebrow. He sighed again and scooped his hair back when everyone nodded.

"The Wiccaning my exasperating son was talking about was we think, you twin's Wiccaning. Yes, they're definitely yours" he said as he narrowed his eyes on Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Chris. "I recognize you now. You haven't really changed much over the years."

"You were at Jessie and Vic's Wiccaning?" Aunt Lindsey asked. She frowned when he nodded. "We didn't see you there."

"We weren't there for long. Just long enough so Max could see the babies. And until today, we had no idea why Michael sent us there. That'll be the reason why you haven't been able to get them back on your own. No matter what you tried, spell or object, it wouldn't have worked. We went there so Max could connect with your twins, so that he'd be able to find them when he needed to."

"But they're in the past. How is he going to find them?" Uncle Wyatt asked.

"That's where Max being a Timekeeper comes in. He has one main active power, Projection, and from an early age he's been using it to go back and forth in time. Most of the time it was accidental, but he'd gotten some control over it when Michael sent us to the Wiccaning. We only had to go a few months forward, but Michael said it would be easier than getting to San Francisco the normal way. A few years later Max was asked to be a Time Keeper."

Laura couldn't take it anymore. Every time he mentioned the Time Keepers, she got more confused.

"What's a Time Keeper?" she blurted out. Every one glanced at her in surprise, as if they had forgotten she was there. They probably had. Laura was pretty good at fading into the background when she wanted to, especially when she was part of a family highly focused on one thing, a thing she didn't really have much to do with.

"A Time Keeper is exactly that. A keeper of time. It's an ancient position that until fairly recently, didn't have a lot to do. They've become more active of late because far too many people, be it witch, warlock, demon or even mortal, were somehow messing around with or getting lost in time. A Time Keeper does their best to prevent this from happening, but if they can't, they go after the individual and set things right" Benjamin explained with a smile.

"So they're like the Cleaners?" Laura asked.

Benjamin grimaced. "Sort of. Time Keepers do basically the same thing as the Cleaners, and they really had been leaving a lot of their stuff to them. Maybe that's why time has been messed around with so much. Not saying that the Cleaners weren't doing their job" he said as he held up his hands, "but they have a lot on their plate. So the Time Keepers took back their job and have been vigilant ever since."

"Why did they give it up in the first place? I've never known a supernatural being to be lazy" Aunt Piper asked.

Benjamin shrugged. "They weren't lazy. Just… almost obsolete. With Cleaners and Angels of Destiny and the like, what they do is literally who they are. They must do what they do, they don't really have a choice. Being a Time Keeper _is_ a choice. It's a job, like being a teacher at Magic School is."

"Okay, so who's this 'Michael' you keep mentioning?" Laura asked.

"I'd like to know that as well, because if it's the person I think it is, I'm not going to be happy" Uncle Chris said as he folded his arms and frowned.

"He's a Whitelighter" Benjamin said and looked at Chris when he groaned. "He's our Whitelighter to be exact. He was the one who made sure Max's case was assigned to me, and that Holly and I had the background we needed when we were beginning the adoption process. I was Max's social worker" he explained when Aunt Phoebe frowned in confusion. "I wasn't supposed to get so close to him, but I fell for him and so did my Holly, my wife. Since we're both witches, we didn't hesitate to take him in. He'd had a lot of people give him back because he didn't have control of his power. I take it you know Michael" he said to Chris, who nodded agitatedly.

"If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him myself" Uncle Chris muttered. "He knew this was going to happen, and he did nothing to stop it! In fact, it seems he encouraged it!"

Lindsey went over to Chris and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Calm down my love. It doesn't matter now, because we're getting them back" she murmured.

"I know beautiful, but I really don't like that fact that he's messing with our lives again" he muttered.

"He's a Whitelighter sugar, that's what they do" Aunt Riley said with a grin. "Besides, he is helpin' us. He made it possible for us to get our chicks back."

"And you wouldn't have gotten together with Aunt Lindsey as quickly if he hadn't made you her Whitelighter" Laura murmured, almost to herself. Almost. She flushed when the couple looked at her in surprise.

"You know about that?" Aunt Lindsey asked.

Laura nodded reluctantly. "Jessie told me" she whispered.

"Of course she did" Uncle Chris said with a rueful grin. "It's okay Laura, she didn't tell you something she shouldn't have" he said when Laura flushed further and looked down guiltily, "it's not a secret."

_If it isn't, why don't the rest of the cousins know? _Laura thought, but kept it to herself. It wasn't her business why no one else knew how Jessie and Vic's parents got together.

"All this still doesn't explain how Benjamin turned up here when we used the spell" Paige said.

_He's here because I did it wrong _Laura thought dejectedly. She got up off the floor and sat down on the sofa, drawing her legs up to hug her knees. Why did she agree to do the spell? She knew it wouldn't work! She sighed and rested her cheek on her knees. Maybe she needed to focus more on the craft instead of putting so much time into getting into Medical School.

_I can't!_ she thought desperately. _I need to study as much as I do! I really want to be a doctor! I don't have time to commit to learning more of the craft! To do that, I'll have to veer away from my plan, maybe give it up altogether! I can't do that! I just can't! Can I?_

_Maybe if you actually knew what you were doing, Benjamin wouldn't be here, and you may have been able to stop your cousins from going in the first place_ a little voice whispered in the back of her mind. Laura squeezed her eyes shut tight as her thoughts swirled round and round.

"Hey hun, given any more thought to goin' home?"

Laura sighed and turned her head to look at her Aunt as she once again sat down beside her.

"No. I want to be here when they get back" she whispered. She closed her eyes again, not wanting to see her Aunt frowning at her. She tensed slightly when she felt a hand brush over her hair.

"What's wrong Laura?"

She kept her eyes closed.

"Nothing's wrong."

Aunt Riley snorted. "Sorry hun, no one pulls off the innocent act as well as my Jack does. I can hear it in your voice. Somethin' is botherin' you. So spill sugar."

Laura sighed. "This is my fault" she whispered, ignoring her Aunt's small sound of protest. "I should never have tried to do that spell. I had no idea what I was doing, and because of that, everything went wrong."

"Everyone's a beginner at some stage Laura" Aunt Riley said quietly.

"I'm the oldest Aunt Riley. I shouldn't be a beginner" Laura mumbled.

"You have a reason to be sugar. You're goin' to be a doctor."

"Am I?" she murmured. She sighed again when Aunt Riley's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't have any time to study the craft because I'm so focused on becoming a doctor. Because of that, a spell went wrong."

"The only way that's goin' to change hun, is if you change your priorities. Delay or maybe even put them aside altogether. I don't think you want to do that, do you?"

"I don't know. Maybe I do. If I did, maybe I could stop something like this from happening again."

Aunt Riley pursed her lips in thought. "So it seems you have a decision to make. Delayin' or givin' up your dreams in favour of somethin' else is a very hard thing to do Laura."

Laura blinked and focused fully on her Aunt. "You sound as if you're speaking from experience" she said in surprise.

"That's coz I am sugar. I take it Jessie told you how I met your Uncle?"

Laura nodded. "She said Aunt Lindsey and Mom were kidnapped and held in the Underworld, and you were there as well. When Uncle Chris rescued them, they bought you back to the Manor with them. Uncle Wyatt was here and everything went from there."

"That's about the gist of it. Do you know why I was kidnapped?"

"Because the demon needed someone to birth a soul. Aunt Lindsey's baby's soul. So they kidnapped witches who were trying to have…"

She stared at her Aunt in shock. "You were trying to have a baby?" she whispered. Aunt Riley smiled at her and nodded.

"Ah huh. I really wanted to be a Momma, but I wasn't married and didn't even have a boyfriend. So I went with In Vitro Fertilisation, or IVF. I saved up and eventually had enough for three sessions. I was just about to start my second session when I met Wyatt."

She chuckled at Laura's expression. "Close your mouth sugar, you'll catch flies. So like you, I had a decision to make. I loved your Uncle almost from the moment I met him, but did I love him enough to give up the one thing I had always wanted?"

"You didn't give it up! You just postponed it!" Laura protested. Aunt Riley chuckled again.

"You're right, I did. But I didn't know that at the time. I agonised over the decision for a very long time, but in the end I decided that I really wanted to see where this thing with your Uncle was goin'. I was only 26 at the time, so I figured that it didn't work between Wyatt and I, I could still do the IVF. It did work with him though, and two years later I found myself married and pregnant with Lydia. So I do know what it's like to make a decision like that."

She turned fully and took Laura's hands in her own.

"It has to be worth it sugar. What you're gettin' has to be worth what you're givin' up. So take as long as you need to make this decision, because you really don't wanna regret it. Maybe you should talk it over with your Momma, or maybe your Gran? You know they'll both support you in whatever you decide."

Laura nodded slowly, lost in thought. At this present point in time, she had absolutely no idea what to do. Could she give up or postpone becoming a doctor to become a full blown witch instead? Was it worth it?

"Okay then. Now maybe you should go home and get some rest hmm?"

Laura shook her head stubbornly. "No. I have to be here. I _need _to be here" she said.

"Well since you're so insistent, you can give me a hand to sort these potion ingredients" a voice said. Laura looked up and into her Grandmother's bright eyes. She grimaced and stood up.

"Fine" she grumbled, "but I'm not touching the Nightshade. Last time the pollen gave me hives for a week."

Her Grandmother laughed and threw an arm around her shoulder, drawing her across the room. They'd just settled down when Paige leaned into her.

"Whatever you decide, we'll always be proud of you little bit" she murmured in her granddaughters ear. Laura stilled in surprise and then smiled softly. It was just like a Halliwell to eavesdrop, and Laura found herself glad the older woman had.

~0~

Jessie tried her best to concentrate on the book in front of her, but she was all too aware of the way the other Chris would constantly pause what he was doing, lift his head and stare at her. It was unnerving, incredibly awkward, and it was putting her off. It was nearly six, making it two hours since he'd been told the truth, and he'd either been clumsily trying to start a conversation or just plain staring the whole time they'd been searching. Jessie wasn't giving him any encouragement, and his attempts where making their search harder. He wasn't so bad with Jack, but with Jessie and Vic, he just wouldn't stop with the gawking. Vic didn't seem to mind it, but Jessie… it was really getting her goat.

Jesus, he was from the future himself, and he must have been on the receiving end of something similar from the sisters. Why the hell was he making such a big deal of this?

"_We're his children Jessie. Children from the changed future that he never thought he'd have. Of course he's going to stare. There's no need to feel uncomfortable about it."_

"_Easier said than done" _she grumbled. _"He's freaking me out."_

"_Maybe if you actually spoke to him instead of ignoring him, he wouldn't stare so much" _Vic suggested gently.

Jessie frowned down at her book. _"I'm not ignoring him!"_

Vic snorted quietly in her mind. _"You're doing a very good 'original timeline Chris' impression and pretending he doesn't exist!"_

"_Well excuse me for not wanting to make friends with a guy who dies in a few months' time!" _she snapped, her head shooting up to glare at her brother. Vic rolled his eyes.

"_You're taking it to the extreme Jessica. He's going to think that his relationship with you in the future is no better than the original one he had with Grandpa."_

Jessie looked down again as guilt swam through her. She didn't want to give him that impression, but she didn't think she could get close to him. Not when she knew what was going to happen to him, and that they couldn't do anything about it.

"_You don't have to get close to him sis. Just talk to him a little."_

Jessie sighed. _"Just leave me alone Victor, please" _she asked quietly. She heard Vic sigh before he drew himself out of her mind.

When they got home, Jessie swore that she would never have anything to do with time travel again, and she would try her best to make sure no one else did as well. It was too much trouble and heartache. She grimaced to herself as she felt Chris's gaze on her once more. Maybe she should talk to him. Vic was right, she didn't need-

Her thoughts were cut off when a ripple went through the atmosphere. Everyone froze and she saw Chris raise his hand in defence as a patch of air in front of them seemed to vibrate, and a man appeared out of nowhere. He had shaggy, dark reddish/brown hair, bright green eyes and as he looked around, a wide grin spread across his face. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, no need attack mate, I'm on the good side" he said in a heavy English accent. Jessie's eyes narrowed as she took him in. There was something…

"_Do you feel it?"_

"_Yeah. What is it? Who is he?"_

"_I have no idea, but I think we're about to find out."_

"Do you have any idea how many times a demon or warlock has said that?" Chris snarled, his hands still raised.

The man's grin widened. "Well this time it's the truth. The name's Maxwell, I'm a Time Keeper and at the request of their parents, I'm here to take this lot home" he said as he pointed at Vic, Jessie and Jack.

"A likely story" Chris scoffed. Privately, Jessie agreed with him.

"Well here's another one. I just came from this very same attic, but this time it was filled with a lot more people. A group of elderly ladies called the Charmed Ones, their children and spouses, a couple of which were very worried and not a little angry at their errant kiddies. I wouldn't like to be them when they got home, believe me. But, alas, it doesn't look like they have a choice, because taking them home, I will be."

Jessie gulped at his very likely story. Looking over she saw a very similar expression on Vic and Jack's faces as well. Oh, they were in so much trouble. She frowned in confusion at Jack when the younger girl suddenly grinned.

"What colour are my Mom's eyes?"

The man spun round to smile at her. "Same colour as yours lassie. I see you don't have her accent though, but you do share your hair colour with your Dad."

He turned to Jessie and Vic. "You two… you're unusual. Getting an eye colour from each parent is quite weird, but that's okay. Glad I can tell you apart now" he said.

"What?" Vic asked, confused. The man laughed.

"I went to your Wiccaning. You two were pretty much identical back then, but since you were only about a month or so old, that's understandable. It's how I was able to find you. Michael sent my Dad and me to your Wiccaning so I could sort of… connect with you I guess, and find you when I needed to. And found you I have. Now let's get you home before you do something I have to clean up, if you haven't already."

"_Think he's telling the truth?" _Jessie asked.

"_You know, I think he is" _Vic answered.

"_That I am kiddies. Now enough chitchat, more going home."_

Jessie gasped as the foreign voice rang through her mind. One look at Vic's face told her he'd heard it too. Shock was clearly stamped across his features.

"How the hell did you do that?! Only Vic can get inside my head and vice versa!" she demanded. The man shrugged, looking rather surprised himself.

"I honestly don't know. It's never happened before. But no worries, we'll figure it out later. Right now it's time to go Back to the Future!"

Jessie rolled her eyes as both Vic and Jack snorted. Even Chris cracked a smile. Lord, there was a cliché if ever she'd heard one!

"Yes I know, corny, but it's true. We do need to go."

"What he's saying makes sense" Jack stated as she stepped forward, "and I think it may be the only way we will be getting home. Nothing here is working."

"I agree. If we want to go home, trusting him seems to be the only option at the moment" Vic said. He turned and raised his eyebrow at Jessie, who scowled.

"If you're evil, I'm going to kick your ass" she growled, pointing a finger at the interloper. He chuckled.

"Fair enough" he said and held out his hand.

"Wait!" Chris shouted as the four of them formed a group. "You're just going to go with him? Just like that? You don't even know him!"

Vic took a step towards him, stopping when his sister mentally held up her hand.

"_No. Let me"_ she murmured. She let go of Maxwell's hand and walked over to Chris, who was standing behind the Book and scowling.

"Ah… thanks for helping us." She swallowed. "Dad."

Chris's eyes softened and happiness and hope sparked through them before his face closed down again. Jessie wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't been standing so close. She struggled with herself for a moment before quickly throwing her arms around his neck.

"You raised us to trust our instincts and go with our gut. That's what we're doing. Please don't worry. We have a good life, which in main part is because of you."

She squeezed him tight. "I love you" she breathed before quickly letting go and walking back over to her way home. She discreetly wiped her eyes and glared at Vic as he smiled at her.

"_Don't."_

"_Wasn't going to say a word, sister dear. You did good."_

She took Maxwell's hand again, deliberately not looking back at the other Chris.

"Ready to go home?" the Time Keeper asked.

"You betcha" Vic stated happily.

Jessie couldn't help turning her head and meeting Chris's eyes as the vibrating sensation from before flowed through her. His face was blank, but somewhere hidden behind his eyes; she swore she saw something that was there no way near enough.

Elation.

~0~

Travelling through time this way was the weirdest feeling ever. It wasn't entirely bad, but as the attic formed around them again, Jessie felt that she would be happy if she never had to do it again.

"Jack!"

Jessie grinned as Jack shot across the attic and into her mother's arms. She chuckled as Vic galloped over, picked up their mother and swung her around, who shouted with laughter in response. She turned to Maxwell and smiled at him.

"Guess I won't be kicking your ass aft-"

What happened next happened so quickly that Jessie had trouble processing it. In the midst of the reunions, a large swarm of black orbs appeared out of nowhere. An arm holding a very large sword formed, the handle of said sword swinging towards Maxwell and slamming into his temple. A sicking crack echoed through the attic and Jessie cried out. As the Time Keeper dropped to the floor, another arm wrapped tightly around her middle and roughly jerked her back against a hard human chest. Fear spurted through her as what could only be an orb shield formed around her, Maxwell and their attacker.

"Come any closer and I will kill her."

Jessie twisted around as much as she could, shock freezing her veins. She knew that voice. She's grown up with that voice. She stiffened in astonishment when she saw the enemies face. His blond hair was longer, hanging in curls around his shoulders and his normally soft bluish/hazel eyes were as hard as marble. He was dressed completely in black and it looked like he didn't have a friendly bone in his body.

Jessie's disbelieving eyes flicked over to stare through the black orb shield at her Uncle – the Uncle that was almost an exact carbon copy of the man holding her. Uncle Wyatt was staring at the man in shock and disbelief, along with everyone else. She gasped in pain when the man squeezed his arm hard into her stomach; pulling her back against him and causing her eyes to snap back to his face. He was smirking at her cruelly.

"Time to go _niece._ I have plans for you."

Her terrified eyes met her brother's as this horrible version of her Uncle reached down, put his hand on the unconscious Maxwell's shoulder and orbed himself and his two prisoners out of the attic.


	8. With one boulder

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N - PLEASE READ: Be warned, this chapter is more rated towards M then T. Mainly because my version of Evil Wyatt is not a little crazy, and the things he does aren't pleasant. There are themes in here that may be disturbing to some people, so please read with caution. Oh, and _please_ let me know what you think. I've never written anything like this before, so I would appreciate as much feedback as I can get. **

**Chapter Seven – With one boulder**

_Her terrified eyes met her brother's as this horrible version of her Uncle reached down, put his hand on the unconscious Maxwell's shoulder and orbed himself and his two prisoners out of the attic._

* * *

"Let go of me!"

Jessie struggled desperately in her kidnapper's hold as what looked like a cave formed around them, and she suddenly found herself being pitched forward as the imposter did just what she commanded him to do. She hit the ground hard, landing on her stomach and knocking the wind out of her, scraping her hands and cheek and snagging her jeans on a sharp rock, cutting through the material and into her leg. She groaned and lay there for a moment as the small wounds throbbed, before she hauled herself to her feet and gingerly spun back round to face her kidnapper, her hands raised. The very different version of her Uncle just stood there watching her, a condescending smirk on his face, as if he wasn't at all worried about her attacking him. He probably wasn't. He did have an orb shield after all, so nothing Jessie could do would hurt him.

She quickly shook that frightening thought away and glared at him, her eyes flicking down to Maxwell as he lay crumbled beside Wyatt, still very much unconscious. Jessie hid her wince as she watched blood trickle down his cheek and pool on the ground beneath him. It didn't look like he'd be able to help her any time soon. She looked back at Wyatt, trying her best not to let her fear show. Going by his pleased smile, she didn't think she was doing a very good job.

"_Vic? Victor? Now would be a good time for you to come charging in like a white knight brother!"_

She swallowed hard as silence engulfed her mind.

"_God damn it, Victor, answer me!"_

Nothing. The slot where her twin usually resided was blank and empty. Hollow. Jessie held back a sob of fear at the vacancy in her mind. She'd never felt more alone in her life.

Deciding that the only way to help both herself and Maxwell was to physically go get help, she tried to orb back to the Manor. Horror washed over her, tripling her fear as she tried again and again, without success. It wasn't working! Why the hell couldn't she orb?!

Her eyes narrowed on Wyatt as he began to laugh harshly.

"Do you really think I would go to all the trouble of taking you, and then have you leave two seconds after I did? I am a little bit more intelligent than that, my darling niece" he said with another condescending smirk.

"I am _not_ your niece!" Jessie growled in a slightly shaking voice. She scowled when he laughed again.

"Yes you are. And that just makes this even more satisfying."

He bent down and grabbed Maxwell by the forearm, dragging him over to a large rock. He held out his hand and a set of chains and a couple of unusual looking manacles appeared in them in a swirl of black orbs. The manacles were glowing red and had a series of unfamiliar designs carved into them. She once again tried to orb out as Wyatt propped Maxwell against the rock, wrapped the chains around it and him and clamped the manacles around his wrists. The red glow flared up as they locked together.

The evil Twice Blessed stood back up and turned to look at Jessie again, his face twisted into a horrible gloating expression. "That ought to do it. Now don't go anywhere niece" he said, chuckling madly at his own joke. Jessie blinked as he suddenly orbed out.

She limped hurriedly over to Maxwell's side and inspected the manacles. Apart from the designs on them, and the glow, there didn't seem to be anything to indicate they were any different from normal. She frowned as she tugged at them, trying to open them to no avail. What did the glow and the designs mean? What was that evil man up to?

She put them aside for the moment and lifted Maxwell's face, peering at the cut on his forehead. It looked pretty deep, but at least the bleeding had slowed down enough that it was now only just flowing sluggishly. She sighed and began gently slapping his cheeks.

"Come on Maxwell, wake up. I need you here" she muttered. "I'm pretty sure we're in the Underworld, but that's the only part I am sure of. And for some reason I can't orb, or contact Victor."

She sighed again. "Please Maxwell, don't leave me here to face this alone" she murmured. "Open your eyes and use that awesome power of yours to get us out of here."

"I really don't see that happening niece" her Uncle said suddenly and Jessie spun round to face him as he orbed in again. "I hit him rather hard."

He walked over to the opposite wall, set something on the ground and waved his hand over it. Jessie watched in disbelief as a large metal rack unfolded and attached itself to the wall. At least she thought it was metal. It was shining so much, it might not have been. She glowered at it.

"What the hell is that?" she demanded. Wyatt threw her a nasty, eager grin over his shoulder.

"You'll find out."

Jessie shook her head in frustration.

"Why are you doing this?! And how are you here in the first place?! The future was changed, you shouldn't even exist!" she snapped as she got to her feet. Her evil Uncle turned to her and smirked once more.

"Took you long enough to ask. If it was me, I would have asked straight away, but I guess I'm just not as concerned about human life as you are." He wandered closer to her, and Jessie tensed, but all he did was stop and stand with his hands behind his back.

"I'm here, little niece, because my asshole of a brother betrayed me and did exactly that. Changed the future. I had a seer in my employment and I was informed that no matter how many times I tried to prevent it, it was always going to happen. It was _destined._" He sneered the word.

"So I did what any good witch would do. I cast a spell."

He wandered even closer to her, circling her, his frigid eyes never leaving her form. Jessie followed him, not once showing him her back. She eyes widened and she shuddered in disgust as his own eyes ran over her appreciatively. If there was anything that proved that he wasn't the Uncle she knew and loved, it was the look in his eyes right now. No Uncle should ever look at his niece the way he was looking at her at the moment.

"I must admit, my brother and his whore did do good work" he murmured silkily, his eyes clinging to her. Jessie fought the urge to cross her arms and hide herself from his gaze. She lifted her chin and glared at him. Her glare intensified when he laughed at her nastily, mocking the brave face she was putting on.

"Don't worry little niece, I've got more important things to do at the moment" he all but cooed, stopping in front of her. "But maybe we can get to that… later. Yes, that'll really mess my little brother up."

Jessie stared at him. "You're doing this for revenge?" she asked in disbelief. Wyatt laughed again.

"Of course I am. That's all that matters. Chris stopped me from getting what I wanted, so I'll do the same to his disgustingly happy little life."

"But he's not even the Chris you grew up with!" Jessie cried. "_My_ Dad never did anything to you! Why are you taking it out on him?!"

"HE'S STILL CHRIS AND HE STILL BETRAYED ME!" Wyatt roared. "I LOVED HIM, OFFERED HIM THE WORLD, AND HE TURNED HIS BACK ON ME! HE HAS TO PAY!"

Jessie flinched as his rage filled voice echoed through the cave. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Maxwell stir, and she quickly looked back at Wyatt, not wanting him to realise his other prisoner was waking up.

"Loved him?!" she mocked, keeping his attention firmly focused on her. Her heart sped up as Maxwell lifted his head. "You don't know the meaning of the word love!"

Wyatt's face twisted into a horrifying snarl, and he lifted his hand and backhanded her so hard, she both heard and felt her cheekbone crack. She flew backwards and slammed head first into the wall. Her world faded in and out as pain rocketed through her, and she was only just able to focus on Wyatt as he crouched down and jerked her up by the front of her hoodie.

"How _dare_ you! You, question _me?!_" he hissed in her face, spittle flying out of his mouth and his eyes ablaze with fury. "I am the Ruler, and you're just a puny little speck compared to me! You're _nothing!_ You hear me? _Nothing!_"

He stood up and dragged her across the room. Jessie tried her best to stop her face from scraping across the rough ground, but it was a futile effort. She could feel the sharp, tiny gravel gorging into her skin.

"I did _not_ go to all this trouble for _members of my own family_ to show me such disrespect! You _will_ respect me, and if you don't I'll _teach _you some respect!"

He hauled her up and threw her up against the rack, her head catching the metal sharply and causing more pain to surge through her. He orbed more chained into his hand, smaller, thinner ones this time, and tied her eagle-spread to the bars. Jessie watched him groggily, half of her focus on Maxwell as he began trying to do something. Whatever it was, all it was doing was making the manacles flare, a fact that seemed to be annoying and frustrating him to no end. He met her eyes briefly, and Jessie could tell he was trying to reassure her. It wasn't working.

Her gaze flicked back to Wyatt as he stepped right up to her, his mouth brushing over her cheek. He smirked as the movement made her tremble.

"The spell sent me back to 2004 and suspended me between dimensions after my darling little brother 'saved the world'" he murmured against her skin. "I expected to be able to just get my revenge on him right then, but for some reason I couldn't interact with him. Figuring it was because I wasn't in the right time, I bided my time and set up this place, and I was thrilled when you three showed up, just as I knew someone would. The Halliwell's just can't leave well enough alone, can they? I was even more ecstatic when the Time Keeper turned up to take you home."

He trailed a single finger down her neck. Jessie's trembles turned into shakes.

"So I hitched a ride. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the man with the scar and realised who the Time Keeper was to him. You know the saying 'kill two birds with one stone?' Well I'm killing two _Chris's_ with one stone!"

He chuckled, grabbed her chin and jerked her head towards him. "Enjoy your training little niece" he cooed before slamming his lips onto hers in a hideously repulsive kiss.

Jessie's stomach shot up into her throat and she balked harshly, moaning in disgust and swallowing back the physical response her revulsion caused. She saw Maxwell lunge forward, struggling against his chains as Wyatt stepped back from her and raised his hand. Her eyes widened as a low voltage energy ball formed in it. The other prisoner seemed to realise what he was going to do before Jessie did. His struggles tripled, and Wyatt threw him a wide, happy grin

"Glad you're awake. Wouldn't want you to miss this" he said before drawing his hand back and tossing the energy ball at the rack.

When it hit… the pain was horrendous. Jessie's body jerked and seized as the electricity flowed along the metal bars, running over and through her repeatedly. The voltage wasn't high enough to kill her, but it did leave small, nasty burns in its wake. She clenched her jaw against the scream building in her throat, allowing only a thin, keening wail to escape.

Her body hung from the bars as the electricity faded. She painfully lifted her head and glared at her torturer defiantly.

"Is that all you've got?" she croaked, ignoring Maxwell's groan. Wyatt stared at her for a second before he roared with laughter.

"Well, well, well! It seems my niece has more backbone then I thought! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"No, stop!" Maxwell shouted at Wyatt formed another energy ball. He ignored him and threw it at the bars.

This time Jessie couldn't stop her harsh, high-pitched scream from escaping. It poured from her, ringing off the walls as pain unlike anything she'd ever imagined pulsed through her body in waves. It felt like her veins were on fire and that her blood was literally boiling. She could smell her flesh burning and as it died down, she was only just able to think that it was lucky her Mom had charmed all their clothes flame retardant, because she was sure the material would have burned away by now otherwise.

"Please, no more! You're killing her!" Maxwell pleaded as she sagged once more.

"Not yet, but I will" Wyatt told him, as if spilling a secret. Maxwell began to struggle in earnest, his manacles flaring up again and again. Wyatt laughed at him.

"Your physical powers won't work while you're wearing those Time Keeper. They render them null and void. Nifty little things, aren't they? Oh, and don't worry, you'll get your turn up there, but not quite yet."

He turned around, grinned insanely at his 'niece' and threw another energy ball.

Jessie screamed. And screamed and screamed. The fire was alive. There were large shards of glass slicing into her constantly, and flames were crawling out of the cuts and burning her up until there was nothing left. Until _she_ was nothing. Her skin was dripping off her, to be replaced by fire. She was a human torch.

She might have been able to control the flames licking across her, if she could've made herself concentrate on something other than the fact that she was being burnt up like a piece of wood. But the pain was too huge for that. Her mind was splintering apart, leaving her a mass of agony and heat. Even the tears on her cheeks seemed to scorch her skin.

She was dimly aware of Maxwell bellowing and Wyatt laughing, but only just. There wasn't anything else but the fire. It ruled her.

"_Jessie! Jessie can you hear me? Concentrate on my voice!"_

She blinked slowly as the foreign presence pushed its way through the clouds of pain and suffering filling her mind. Since when did her brother have an English accent?

"_Jessie, please, you have to concentrate!"_

"…_Vic?"_

"_No Jessie, it's Max. I can't use my physical powers, but I can still talk to you this way. And I think I can use my Projection to extent your link to your brother."_

Jessie frowned, her eyes drifting closed.

"…_Vic, please help me…"_

"_Jessie, it's Max! Maxwell! Focus on my voice! I can get us out of here, but you have to help me!"_

"…_I wanna go home…"_

"_I know you do kid, and we will. But at the moment you're letting him win. Do you want that to happen? Do you want him to destroy your family?"_

"_Noooo…" _

"_Then concentrate!"_

Jessie took a deep, shuddering breath as she used the last of her strength to grab onto his voice and hold tight. Wyatt was saying something, but she ignored him, focusing everything she had left in her on Maxwell.

"_Good girl! That's great! Now reach for your brother, and I'll help!"_

Jessie did exactly what she was told. She ignored the residue pricks, snaps and flares of pain that were making her shake violently, and reached up, up, up. Further then she'd ever reached before.

"_Vic? Vic! VICTOR!"_

"_Jessie? Jessie! Oh dear God, are you- Ahhhhhhh!"_

"_NO!"_

Jessie quickly cut the connection as agony pulsated through her again. She would not make him live that with her! She screamed hoarsely as her consciousness faded in and out.

"_Jessie stop! Listen to me! You had him! You have to try again!"_

"_Noooo… It hurts him…."_

"_I know it does love, but it's the only way. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you have to do it again. I'll buffer it, I promise."_

"…_he won't hurt?"_

"_No love, he won't."_

She nodded mentally, tiredly, as the fire faded. It was right about then that she noticed Wyatt was shouting in her face. She shut him out and called her brother again.

"_Vic…"_

"_Jessie?! What the hell was that?! Where are you?!"_

"_Concentrate on her location Vic, grab reinforcements and orb here. And be prepared. It won't be a pretty site."_

"_Max… what?"_

"_Just do it Vic!"_

"_Jesus, Jessie…"_

She cut the connection again at his horrified little whisper. He was _not_ going to live this with her! She would not share this pain with her twin! She blinked as she became aware of her face being slapped repeatedly. The slaps were sharp, and they hurt, but they were nothing compared to the fire. She focused on Wyatt and glared at him, sending all the hate she could manage his way.

"You are _not_ my Uncle" she whispered brokenly, her voice cracking from the strength of her screaming. The evil man smirked at her, his breath running hot over her ear.

"Ah, there you are. And yes I am niece. I always will be, and I'll always be here to torment you. Every time you look at him, you'll see me. You'll never forget me. _Never_."

Jessie desperately tried to pull away as his teeth clamped down onto her earlobe and bit, hard enough to draw blood. Her body wasn't co-operating though. She couldn't move a muscle. He chuckled and stepped back, licking his lips and turning to Maxwell.

"Shall we give you a go up there now? Give my darling little niece a break? Yes, I think we should-"

Suddenly the room was filled with blue light as blue and white orbs swarmed to form members of Jessie's family. Evil Wyatt scowled fiercely and immediately pulled an orb shield over himself. Seeing how outnumbered he was, he did what all cowards do. He ran. But not before sending one last smirk Jessie's way.

"Remember niece, I'll _always_ be with you."

And then he was gone. Jessie's father rushed towards him, a look of rage twisting his features, but he wasn't quick enough. His black orb cloud had cleared before even he got anywhere near him. Jessie sagged again as everyone turned in her direction.

"_It's okay kid. You can sleep now. You're safe."_

It was like she was waiting for this very conformation. Blackness dropped across her vision and she let herself embrace it. The last thing she heard was her mother repeating her name again and again, her voice ringing with distress. Jessie pushed it all away and sunk.


	9. The recovery position

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Eight – The recovery position**

"_It's okay kid. You can sleep now. You're safe."_

_It was like she was waiting for this very conformation. Blackness dropped across her vision and she let herself embrace it. The last thing she heard was her mother repeating her name again and again, her voice throbbing with distress. Jessie pushed it all away and sunk. _

* * *

_The attic – One hour earlier_

Victor paced. He strode from one end of the attic to the other, around and around, unable to keep still. Not while she was out there on her own. Not while his twin sister, his best friend, his other half, was somewhere unknown, in the arms of a madman.

"We'll find her Vic, don't worry."

He spun round and stared at his Uncle Wyatt in disbelief.

"Don't worry? _Don't worry?_ The evil you has her Uncle! And you're one of the most powerful witches alive! How can I possibly not worry?!"

Uncle Wyatt ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Okay, so maybe that came out wrong. I meant don't worry so much. Chris defeated him before, it can be done again."

"He didn't defeat him mate. He reset time, and it seems like he even messed that up."

Vic turned to look at the newcomer to the group, his interest peaked a little. He hadn't really been introduced to him, but he'd picked up the gist of why he was here. He was Max's father, and for some reason he'd come when they'd tried to call Jessie, Jack and himself back from the past. Uncle Wyatt turned to look at him as well. Or frown at him to be more precise.

"How do you know that? What the original Chris did is not common knowledge" he asked.

Ben blinked at the question. "I… I really don't know. It just popped into my head. Max told me maybe? No, that can't be it, the who and how of time travel is confidential. Max could tell me if he was here…"

Vic's mouth pulled as Ben sat down and rubbed his face with his hands tiredly. Frustration and worry was pouring off him, and Vic was reminded that Jessie hadn't been the only one kidnapped. Ben's son had been taken as well.

He growled lightly and resumed pacing. Why the hell did they cast that damn spell?! It's what started all this off! If they'd just left well enough alone…

He stopped abruptly and looked down as his hand was caught in a light grip. Jack flinched slightly at the look in his eyes, but she stood her ground.

"Sit down Vic. You'll wear yourself out, and then you'll be no help whatsoever at finding Jessie" she said quietly.

"She's right Victor. Come on, sit" Laura said as walked to his side and took his other hand. Vic sighed and let himself be led to the sofa, where his mother was sitting, curled up against the back of it. His Mom smiled at him, fear and worry swimming in her eyes, and held up her arm. He gave up all pretence of acting grown up and buried himself into her side.

"She's strong Vic. She'll find a way to let us know where she is" she whispered, and Vic tried to ignore the way her voice was shaking.

He sighed again, closed his eyes and opened his mind as wide as possible.

"_Jessie? Jessie! Can you hear me? JESSICA!"_

Nothing. His mind was bare, incomplete, deserted. The warm glow where his sister usually made herself known was dull and cold, almost icy. And that was just plain wrong.

He shivered and looked over at the Charmed Ones and his father, who were all huddled around the Book, arguing amongst themselves. They'd already tried many things to find Jessie and Maxwell, including scrying, the To Call a Lost Witch spell, and reversing it but everything had failed. It was like something was keeping them out.

"God damn it, I am so sick of nothing we try working!" Chris burst out. Vic watched him wide-eyed as he spun round to glare at Benjamin.

"Why hasn't your son got them home by now?! He's a Time Keeper, a powerful being; he should be able to get out of these types of situations!"

"Did you not see that git smack him over the head with a large sword?!" Ben snapped back as he slowly got to his feet. "Even powerful beings can't always come back immediately from something like that! And I could say the same about your daughter! She can orb, can't she?!"

What would have been Chris's furious reply was interrupted was a swirl of orbs. Vic jerked upright, hope surging through him.

"_Jessie?!"_

He slumped back down again in disappointment when the cloud cleared to reveal his very tan looking Aunt Mel.

"Hey everyone! We're back! It was so amazing and I've got so many photos to show you…"

She frowned as she looked around, taking in the depressing atmosphere. She sighed.

"Okay, what have I missed?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, spells going wrong, dead enemies coming back, family members getting kidnapped, that sort of thing" Vic said dully.

Mel laughed before she realised he was serious.

"Aww man. Well at least the honeymoon was demon free-"

"_Vic? Vic! VICTOR!"_

Vic shot to his feet, all of his concentration on the very soft call sounding through his mind.

"_Jessie? Jessie! Oh dear God, are you- Ahhhhhh!"_

His legs gave way and he crumbled to the floor, yelling both mentally and aloud as atrociously severe pain ripped through him. He withered under the force of it, and he was dimly aware of his parents rushing to his side. He heard Jessie shout something before the connection was suddenly snapped. He groaned as the agony faded.

"Vic?! What's wrong?! What happened?!"

"Jessie" he moaned as he turned over and looked into his mother's worried gaze. "He's hurting her. Really bad."

His mother's face crumbled and she moaned as well, despair billowing off her as his father helped him sit up.

"Did you get a hold on where they were?" Chris demanded. His swore violently when Vic coughed and shook his head.

"No, the connection wasn't long enough-"

"_Vic…"_

He closed his eyes, bracing himself as relief at hearing her voice again flowed through him. There was no pain this time though.

"_Jessie?! What the hell was that?! Where are you?!"_

"_Concentrate on her location Vic, grab reinforcements and orb here. And be prepared. It won't be a pretty site."_

"_Max… what?" _he once again said both mentally and aloud as confusion ran through him. Why could he hear him so much better than Jessie? And why did he sound like he was the one in pain? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ben step towards him.

"_Just do it Vic!" _Max demanded as what Jessie was feeling and bits of what she'd gone through trickled into Vic's consciousness. He balked and began to tremble.

"_Jesus, Jessie" _he whispered, horrified, and the connection was suddenly cut again. This time he didn't mind as he was able to get a lead on her location.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. It wasn't easy. What he'd seen and felt… he knew that had just been the tip of the iceberg. His mouth firmed and he opened his eyes, determination in every line of his body. They had to get her out of there. He got to his feet.

"I know where she is" he said quietly. "And you all have to come, Uncle Wyatt especially. She's, ah, g-going to need all the healing she can get."

~0~

Jessie slept. She didn't know how long she slept, but every time she felt herself waking, she pulled herself back down into the darkness again. She didn't want to open her eyes, didn't want to face all the questions. She didn't want to relive the pain and horror all over again. She just wanted to escape.

Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep forever. At some point burying her head in the sand stopped working, and her eyes opened. She blinked up at the ceiling of her mother's old room in the Manor. There was no pain, at least not physically.

She lifted her arm and looked at her skin. It was pale and clear, normal looking. It wasn't raw and burnt, flaking off her as it had been when she was rescued. She was healed.

She lowered her arm, sighed and closed her eyes again.

"Oh no, come one love, open those eyes again. You've slept long enough."

Her eyes opened again at the softly spoken words. She slowly turned her head and looked into Maxwell's eyes. He smiled at her.

"Good to see you back amongst the living kid" he said, his voice still quiet. Jessie didn't answer him, but she did look around the room. She frowned at Vic and her parents, who were all asleep, sprawled in chairs beside her bed. Ah. That explained the lack of volume.

"They haven't left your side since they bought us back, your brother especially. He got violent when someone tried to remove him from the room while they healed you."

_Vic isn't a violent person_ Jessie thought. She blinked when Max laughed softly.

"You wouldn't have believed that two days ago. He actually took a swing at his Grandfather before they let him stay. Wasn't a very effective one, he ending up falling over, but they got the picture."

Jessie stared at him. _"You can still hear me" _she said softly. Max nodded.

"Yeah. Don't ask me how, or how I got through to you in the cave. Telepathy isn't one of my gifts, and I haven't suddenly just developed it because no one but you two can hear me. It's a mystery kid."

She took a deep breath. _"You haven't told them what happened in there have you?"_

Max frowned. "Not yet but-"

"_Don't. Please don't. They don't need to know what I went through."_

"_Vic will just read it in your head love" _Max said quietly.

She shook her head. "_Not if I can help it. I won't let them suffer." _

His frown deepened. _"But what about you Jessie? Who's going to help you heal?"_

"_I am healed" _she stated.

Max's mouth twisted. "_No love. You're not."_

She was saved from answering by the door being opened quietly. Jessie smiled when she saw who it was.

"Aunt Mel" she whispered, "you're back."

"And you're awake. How you feeling kiddo? Up for something to eat?"

At that question Jessie realized exactly how hungry she was. She pulled herself up and nodded eagerly. Her Aunt grinned at her and headed back to the door.

"MOM! JESSIE'S AWAKE AND SHE'S HUNGRY!" she shouted. Jessie cringed as her voice echoed through the house and woke the other three occupants of the room. Her Dad jumped up off his chair with his hands raised, his eyes flicking around the room.

"What? Where is it? Where is it?"

Jessie laughed. She couldn't help it. The look on his face was just too funny. All three heads shot round at the unexpected sound and her mother was at her side in an instant.

"Jessie. Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, Jessie" she murmured, her voice shaking. She brushed her hand over her in soft touches everywhere, as if reassuring herself her daughter was really there. Her face, her arm, her side, the top of her head. Everywhere.

"I'm fine Mom" she whispered. Lindsey choked at the sound of her voice and turned and buried her face into her husband's chest.

Chris kept her at his side and laid his hand against his daughter's cheek. "Are you feeling better?" he asked, very quietly in a raspy voice. She nodded and he took a deep breath, the air catching in his throat. She smiled at him.

Her heads shot round as she felt her brother's presence in her mind. She very quickly slammed her shields in place, effectively kicking him out. He blinked at her.

"Jessie?" he asked, confusion and something like hurt in his voice. She could feel him drifting along the edges of her shields.

"I'm fine Vic" she stated firmly. She pushed aside her guilt at hurting him.

"_You won't be able to keep that up forever kid. It'll exhaust you."_

She turned to frown at Maxwell. How was he still able to get in?

"_I'm guessing it's because your shields are personally designed for your twin. You're not used to anyone else being able to get into your head, so they don't work with anyone else. You should probably work on that."_

She scowled at him and turned to the door when her Grandmother walked in with a full tray.

"Really, Melinda, you didn't have to shout. Your legs do work don't they?"

"Course they do Mom" Mel said with a grin. "But it's more fun this way."

Jessie laughed again as her Grandmother shook her head at her daughter. She took the tray and picked up the incredibly large sandwich.

"How's Luc? And how was the honeymoon?" she asked as she took a bite.

"Elopement you mean" Piper grumbled.

"That too" Jessie said and Mel laughed.

"It was great. He's great and he says he'll come over and see you later. He's sorting stuff with the band at the moment."

"I bet you they weren't happy about him just suddenly running off either" Piper said, still grumbling.

"Aww, come on Mom, I said I was sorry didn't I?" Mel said as she slung her arm around her mother's shoulder. "We just really wanted to get it done. Over and done with without the worry."

"So it didn't have anything to do with the fact that he's seven years younger than you and you're worried that he might find someone better and more his own age?" Jessie's father teased her.

Maxwell snorted quietly as Lindsey hit her husband over the back of the head and Mel turned to glare at him. She sniffed.

"I might if it was possible for him to find someone better, but since it isn't, there's nothing to worry about."

Jessie smiled as their bantering continued. It felt normal.

"_You'll feel even more normal if you talk to them."_

She glared at the man sitting beside her. _"Shut up Max and get out of my head."_

"_Someone's got to talk some sense into you, and since you're being a prat and not letting Vic do it, I guess it falls on me. Stop being a hero and lean on them. It's what they're here for."_

She huffed and turned away from him, tuning back into her father and Aunt, who were still arguing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vic scowling at her and Max.

"Do you two ever stop arguing?"

Jessie's head shot to the door. Her eyes widened and she began to tremble as her heart raced and phantom pain poured through her. Her breathing kicked up until she was hyperventilating. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut tight as she latched into Maxwell's hand.

_Remember niece, I'll always be with you._

"Jessie? What's wrong?" she heard her mother ask.

"Please. Please get him out of here" she whispered and she felt Max go still.

"Jessie? Are you in pain?"

Her eyes shot open and her trembles turned to shakes as she heard his voice right beside her. She looked up into blue/hazel eyes and she moaned as horrible heat burnt through her veins. Her fear exploded as his hand came to rest on her leg.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked, springing away from him and spilling the still full tray onto the floor. She only just stopped herself from throwing up.

"Jessie!"

"_Jessie! Look at me! It's not him! He's not the man who hurt you!"_

Jessie found herself staring into Maxwell's eyes as her body shook. The Time Keeper had a firm grip on her upper arms and was looking at her intently. She swallowed as she tried to make herself believe that.

_Remember niece, I'll always be with you._

"_Nooo… I just… I can't! He's the same! I just can't" _she moaned.

"_Okay, okay. He'll go. But he's your Uncle, Jessie. You can't avoid him forever."_

"Maybe you better go Wyatt" Max suggested softly as Jessie buried her face into his shoulder. The Twice Blessed looked confused.

"Jessie?" he questioned in a small voice. She flinched away from him violently when he reached out to her. His hands balled into fists and he sighed.

"I love you Jess, and I would never hurt you" he said quietly. His shoulders slumped when his niece didn't even acknowledge him, and with shattered eyes he turned and left the room.

"_Yeah kid. You're healed alright."_

~0~

Jessie woke again. She hadn't been asleep long, she hadn't expected to be. But saying she was tired had been the best way to get everyone to leave her alone after her panic attack. Feeling a bit gross after being in bed for so long, but not really having the energy to have a shower and get dressed, she slipped out of bed, wandered down to the conservatory and curled up on the sofa in the sun.

She sighed as guilt surged through her. She hated treating her twin this way. Even now she could feel him shifting along the edges of the shields in her mind. And keeping him out felt wrong as well. Vic had always been in her head. Though she couldn't remember it, her Mom had said they talked to each other in their minds since they were babies. They'd kept their parents entertained for hours with the facial expressions they'd exchanged. And her very first memory was of having a nightmare, crying out in her mind and of Vic getting out of his own bed and crawling in with her.

He'd always been there for her and keeping him out and pushing him away like this was almost painful. She knew she was hurting him as well. He hadn't said a word, but she knew him to well not to know how her shutting him out was making him feel.

Her lips firmed in determination. Well he'd just have to get over it. She was _not_ letting him inside her head so that he could suffer right along with her. He didn't need to experience what she went through. Her remembering it was enough, he didn't need to relive it every time he slept like she did.

And then there was Uncle Wyatt. In her heart she knew he was a completely different person to the evil man that had hurt her. He would never act in any way like Evil Wyatt did. Her heart knew that. Her head though… she shuddered. She sighed again and buried her face into her arms, closing her eyes.

"Want to talk about it?"

Jessie slowly shook her head as she opened her eyes and turned over, looking up into the eyes of her best friend, who was leaning over the back of the sofa. Said eyes were looking back down at her worriedly. Laura frowned gently at her cousin's expected answer.

"You'll feel better if you do" she said. Jessie grimaced.

"You sound just like Maxwell" she grumbled. Her eyes narrowed when Laura blushed slightly and fidgeted.

"He knows what he's talking about" she murmured, her blush deepening when she saw how close Jessie was looking at her.

"You like him" Jessie accused as she sat up. She groaned when her cousin looked away.

"He's too old for you Laura" she told her. The older witch rolled her eyes.

"I know that. I know he'd never be interested in someone over a decade younger than him, especially when that person is a teenager. Doesn't mean I still can't look" she said with a small smile.

Jessie laughed, making her Grandmother grin as she walked into the room.

"That's the sound we want to hear" she said. She scooted Jessie's legs over, sat down beside her and handed her a stack of books and papers. "A young man by the name of Mathew Renfew dropped these off for you while I was over at your house. He also passed on his wishes that you feel better soon. I thought I'd bring them back with me since he went to all the trouble of writing you out your own set of notes."

Jessie flushed as she looked down at the neat writing, deliberately not looking anywhere in Laura's or Piper's direction. They were the notes from the seminar she was hoping to attend before all this happened, as well as the homework from the past couple of days. Two days ago she would have been thrilled that the boy she liked had done this for her. Now she didn't know how she felt about it. All she could think about was the way Evil Wyatt had looked at her. She sighed and looked up, giving her Grandmother an awkward smile. Piper smiled gently back at her and patted her arm.

"There's no pressure honey. You can't come back from something like this right away. Trust me, I know." She reached over, removed a thin book from under the stack papers and handed it to her Granddaughter. Jessie looked at her in question.

"It's from your Uncle" Piper said quietly, and Jessie sucked in a breath. "He thought you might want to write down what you went through and what you're feeling, since you don't seem to want to talk about it at the moment. He thinks it'll help you feel a little better."

Jessie looked down again, guilt once more flowing through her. It was a lovely thing to do, and it would probably help her immensely. It just helped prove how unalike the two Wyatt's were, but Jessie still felt panicked at seeing him. She clenched her jaw as her hand tightened around the book. Enough was enough. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, it was a normal day. She wanted, no she _needed_ to feel normal as well.

She frowned as something slowly clicked in her head. Birds…? She gasped.

"Ah, can you get them all here? Everyone, Uncle W-Wyatt included?" she whispered as her head shot up. Piper frowned.

"Are you sure Jessie? Your reaction to Wyatt was rather extreme. Maybe you should give it a little more time?"

"That's exactly why he needs to come and the sooner the better. I won't let _him_ ruin my life. And I've just realized something so there are things we need to discuss. Things _he_ said that if I'm right, will have quite an impact" Jessie said.

She took Laura's hand as the other girl sat beside her when Piper nodded and got up to make the calls. She'd put this off long enough. She still couldn't see herself talking about the torture, but there were other things she could tell them. Things that didn't make sense at the time, but were slowly coming together in her head now. And if she was lucky, things that would change her families lives considerably. And change them for the better.


	10. The whole famdamily

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Nine – The whole famdamily**

_She took Laura's hand as the other girl sat beside her when Piper nodded and got up to make the calls. She'd put this off long enough. She still couldn't see herself talking about the torture, but there were other things she could tell them. Things that didn't make sense at the time, but were slowly coming together in her head now. And if she was lucky, things that would change her families lives considerably. And change them for the better._

* * *

The Halliwell Manor was a huge place. It had many rooms and a lot of space to fill. But when the whole Halliwell clan were around, that space got filled up very quickly. They'd moved into the sitting room as soon as people began to arrive, as apart from the attic, it was really the only place that would fit them all, and the attic wasn't the right place to have a full family conversation.

Jessie's stomach began to fizz and twist as the room slowly filled. She didn't think she'd ever been this nervous or anxious before. While in her mind, her revelations were a good thing, what had led up to them was the opposite of good. She knew she'd have reveal a little of what had happened to explain how she'd come to her conclusions. Even if it was only the surface of what happened, she still didn't want to think about it, let alone talk about it. But she didn't have a choice.

She was staring at the floor with her hand resting on her churning stomach when someone put their hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled into the eyes of Aunt Mel's new husband.

"Uncle Luc, hey. Awesome that I can now call you that for real" she said. The Frenchman smiled back at her.

"Isn't it?" he answered before his smile morphed into a look of concern. "Are you okay Mon chéri? Sitting here on your own, you are looking a little green."

Jessie smiled again. "I'm fine. I'm a little nervous, but apart from that, I'm good."

"No. You are not" Luc said slowly as he searched her face. "Melinda is right. You are hurting badly. Why are you not talking to your family about this?"

She looked away from him. "Don't go there Luc, please. I really am okay. Not perfect, but I'll feel better with time."

Luc watched her silently for a long moment.

"You are hiding, and for some reason think that they are going to let you continue to hide. You should know your family better than that, your brother especially. He won't let this go on for much longer. And if he does not say something soon, someone else will. Family is a unit Mon chéri. I am grateful to join this one, and to have the right to tell you to get the hell off your island and stop shutting us out."

Jessie's mouth fell open as he took her hand, squeezed it gently and turned to go sit beside his wife on the opposite sofa. He'd never spoken to her like that before. She'd known him long before he and Mel had started dating, as the band he managed and played in was very successful in the clubs in San Francisco and other cities, and he'd played in P3 many times. And after he'd finally convinced Aunt Mel to go out with him, who was the entertainment manager at the club and was half the reason Luc had wanted to play there so often, he'd become a fixture at the Manor and Jessie's own home.

Up until now he'd always been funny and kind and a great person to talk to. She'd even had a small crush on him a few years back, which his gift of empathy had let him know about and he'd treated gently. This was different. In all the time she'd known him, he'd never told her off or made her feel guilty before.

She was distracted from her thoughts by Laura orbing back in with her parents and her little sister. Kat came over, sat beside Jessie and lifted her chin.

"You're being an idiot" she stated abruptly and Jessie rolled her eyes as Laura groaned quietly. The years hadn't broken Kat out of the habit of speaking first, thinking later. She still said exactly what was on her mind, even if what she was thinking ended up offending people.

"You need to talk Jessie. You won't heal if you don't."

"I am healed Aunt Kat" the younger witch said on a sigh as she held up her arm. "See? No more burns."

Kat frowned at her. "Don't play dumb Jessica. You know exactly what I'm talking about. I wouldn't except this from Laura, and I'm surprised Chris and Lindsey are excepting it from you. Maybe I should have a talk with them" she mused. Jessie sighed again and looked at her hands.

"I don't want to hurt them Aunt Kat" she whispered. "He's Dad's brother and he hurt me. That fact alone hurts Dad enough as it is, if he found out exactly what happened…" she trailed off.

"Shutting them out is hurting them anyway Jessie, Vic especially" Kat said and Jessie grimaced. Did the whole family know she wasn't letting her brother into her head?

"Okay Mom, that's enough, she's had it piled from all sides already. Why don't you go see why Paris looks like she's about to blow a gasket?" Laura suggested.

Kat threw her daughter an amused look before dutifully getting off the sofa. She pulled Jessie up and gave her a hard hug.

"Maybe it'll help you if you stop thinking of him as Chris's brother and your Uncle" she whispered into her niece's ear. "That man may be related to you by blood, but he isn't part of this family and he isn't Chris's older brother. He already has one of those, and that's the man that you grew up with, the man who loved and supported you since you were born."

She pulled back and met Jessie's eyes. "Think about it okay?" she said before she patted her arm and walked over to defuse her youngest daughter's temper tantrum.

Jessie watched her go, her words swirling around in her head. She was trying her best not to think of Evil Wyatt as her Uncle, but it was incredibly hard. She sighed and sat back down, Laura sitting beside her and taking her hand.

"Thanks for rescuing me" she murmured and Laura sighed.

"I know you Jessie. If everyone keeps telling you to do something, you'll do exactly the opposite, so everyone telling you off for shutting us out will just make you more determined to do it. Doesn't mean I don't agree with them though" she said with a soft smile. Jessie rolled her eyes again.

"Ah, finally someone who's talking sense" a voice said from behind them and Jessie turned to meet Maxwell's eyes. She smirked slightly as she saw Laura blush heavily at his compliment.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you and Ben went home?" she asked in surprise. In the back of her mind she'd been hoping he had. Convincing her family would be hard enough without the two Londoners there as well.

"Hey, you actually sound like you don't want me here! I'm wounded kid!" Maxwell joked and both girls grinned. "Seriously though, we were about to head out but your Mum thought it would be best if I hung around, since I'm the only one you're opening up to at the moment. Dad stayed as well because he's quite pissed off at Evil Wyatt and wants to be part of any plan in taking him down."

He nodded over to where Ben was talking with Piper and Leo before taking a seat in the chair beside the sofa, on Laura's side. Jessie couldn't help but notice how her best friend kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye and very quickly looking away. It was only because she was watching her cousin so closely, amused at the obvious (to her) signs of her crush, that she noticed how determinedly Maxwell was ignoring Laura. He wasn't looking in her direction at all, as if he was deliberately forcing himself not to. In major contrast to that, his body was angled towards her, and he seemed to be almost unconsciously leaning closer to her than necessary. Jessie frowned. Hold on. What was this?

She was once again distracted from her thoughts by the arrival of more family members. She smiled as her Aunt Tammy, Uncle Mark and her four-year-old cousin Leon orbed in. Mark immediately conjured a playpen for his son and set it up in the conservatory. He settled Leon in and Kat sent a sulky Paris over to supervise him while Paige, Henry and Henry Jnr arrived. Henry Jnr immediately approached Jessie.

"Thought you'd want to know that we got the ring back" he said as he crouched down in front of her.

"You did? That's great!" Jessie said with a grin, relief flowing through her.

"It is. You know, I'm a little insulted that you don't trust my cop skills" Henry said with a joking sniff. "We were always going to get it back, the thieves weren't all that bright. You didn't need to go to such extremes."

"Jessie didn't come up with the idea Uncle, Jack did" Laura defended before Jessie could say a word. "She just followed to try and keep the other two out of trouble."

Henry looked at her in amusement. "I know that Lau. I'm just saying magic can't solve everything. Sometimes good old fashioned police work is needed."

"And nobody does it better then you, right Uncle Junior?" Jessie said with a smile. Henry grinned back at her.

"Well I am one of the best in the city" he said modestly and Jessie laughed. He patted her knee and got up to re-join his parents.

The very people who unintentionally started this all off were the next to arrive. Both Jessie and Laura grinned when the pink light faded to reveal a very disconcerted Andrea and a worried looking Parker, who was watching her fiancé in concern. Andrea hated travelling by any form of teleportation, as it always made her feel sick. She was a mortal who had accepted the fact that the woman she loved was half witch, half cupid quite easily. She'd told Jessie once that accepting and admitting she was gay was her life's biggest hurdle, and everything else was rather easy to take compared to that. But that didn't mean her stomach liked the way Parker got around, and she preferred to travel in the mortal fashion if she could.

The only two single female adults in the family arrived next. PJ looked like she'd come straight from the office, and a busy one at that. Her hair was a mess and she looked quite a bit stressed. In comparison to her oldest sister, Penelope breezed in, her eyes sparkling and an upbeat optimism surrounding her. Her role as a cupid fit her to a tee. Jessie was frankly surprised she was still single. She wasn't surprised at all with PJ. Her Aunt was very much focused on her career as a journalist and wasn't even looking for a mate, much to her mother's disappointment.

Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coop were that last of the extended family to arrive. Phoebe immediately came over and enveloped Jessie in a hug, Penny following right behind her.

"Feeling better sweetie?" she asked. Jessie nodded as Penny stepped forward to hug her as well.

"Good. We're here if you do ever want to talk" the middle Charmed One said. Jessie sighed in relief at not being told off for clamming up. Her family meant well, but it got annoying after a while. She smiled at Penny who was standing with her arm around Jessie's shoulder and watching Laura and Maxwell with interest.

Jessie frowned and looked in their direction as well, staring hard at Maxwell, who at the moment was watching Laura pensively as she chatted with Pheobe. His eyes flicked over to meet Jessie's and guilt and frustration slid over his features before he looked away.

"_What do you think you're doing?! She's the same age as me!"_

"_Don't you think I know that? I'm not talking about this with you Jessie" _he answered before he gently but firmly pushed her out of his mind. She frowned at him, noticing he seemed to have deliberately avoided calling her 'kid.'

Her roiling thoughts were broken once more when she found herself being pulled into another set of arms. She sighed in contentment as her father's familiar scent enveloped her. Her family must have arrived without her noticing. They'd left earlier to let her sleep, leaving her at the Manor instead of taking her home because she'd been comfortable there and didn't want to move. The Manor was like a second home to the younger Halliwell generation anyway, so her parents were okay with leaving her in the care of her Gran. She rested her head on Chris's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" he murmured quietly against her hair. "We can make everyone go away and go wallow at home if you like. You can take a bath and then curl up with a movie. I'll even get your Mom to make chocolate chip cookies."

Jessie laughed. "You just want the cookies for yourself" she teased him. Her smile widened as she felt his own laugh rumble through his chest.

"Of course I do. Your Mom's chocolate chip cookies are the best on earth. Though don't tell your Gran I said that" he said and Jessie chuckled. "But I really do mean it. We can stop this if you want."

She stepped back and looked up into her father's eyes. "No, I need to do this. I need to tell everyone what I can."

Chris searched her eyes for a long moment, before smiling gently, brushing his hand over her hair and kissing her forehead.

"I'm proud of you Jessie."

Her mouth twisted. "Even if I'm not talking like everyone says I should be?"

Chris looked into his daughters eyes again. "Who said you're not talking? What you're about to do right here seems like talking to me. It's baby steps, but it's a step in the right direction."

Jessie smiled. "Thanks Dad."

"Anytime sweetheart. When you're ready, your Mom and I are here for you." His eyes hardened. "And I _swear_ will catch the bastard who hurt you. He won't get near you ever again, I'll make sure of it. I'll destroy him myself if I have too!"

Her eyes widened as he hissed the words, his voice drowning in wrath and anger. Her Dad had a very slow firing temper, but when it did ignite, it wasn't a pretty site. He blew his top spectacularly, and said and did things in the heat of the moment that he usually came to regret later. Jessie knew that if he took Evil Wyatt down, it would be another one to add to the list.

"He's your brother Dad" she stated quietly. Chris looked at her in shock.

"No, Jessie. No, he's not. My brother would never do what he did to you. My brother, your Uncle, loves you. He would never hurt you. He would never hurt any innocent. That man… that man isn't related to us at all. He's an evil, cruel, vindictive monster. You do know that don't you?"

Jessie suddenly became very interested in the floor.

"Sweetheart? Please tell me you don't believe any of the bullshit that demon may have spouted?"

"I'm trying not too" she whispered, still staring at the floor. She gasped quietly when she felt herself being jerked back into his arms. Chris clutched at her tightly, his hands trembling.

"I'm going to kill him. How dare he! What right does he have to mess around with _my_ daughter?! I'm going to tear him limb from limb!"

Again the words were spoken in a soft menacing snarl. Somehow, the violence in his tone made her feel better. Safer. It cracked open the shell a little and Jessie put her arms around him and held tight. She hid her face against his chest so no one else could see her tears.

~0~

After Chris had finally been convinced to let his daughter go, Jessie hugged her mother. Lindsey didn't say anything about her wet and puffy eyes, but she did hold on tight. Jessie breathed in the comfort her mother gave off like a pheromone and felt herself settle a little more. She stepped back from Lindsey and smiled crookedly at her brother, who had been watching everything silently. The smile turned to a look of confusion when he frowned darkly and turned away from her to sit down beside Luc. It was then that she noticed he wasn't drifting around her shields, looking for a way in anymore. She looked at her mother in question, who didn't notice her look as she was frowning at Vic as well.

Deciding that now wasn't the time to confront him about his behaviour, she sat back down beside Laura. Her father sat in the chair beside her and Lindsey sat on the arm of his chair.

Her stomach exploded with horse-size butterflies when she saw there was only one other left family to arrive. She sucked in a shaky breath, her gaze shooting to the doorway as a tinkle rang through the room and a swarm of blue and white orbs appeared. Slowly it cleared to reveal the family. Jack immediately rushed over and threw her arms around her older cousin, her body trembling. Jessie hugged her back.

"I'm sorry" Jack whispered in her ear, her voice cracking. Jessie sighed.

"It's not your fault. It isn't Jack" she insisted when the girl pulled back and threw her a disbelieving look. "It's only one person's fault and that person isn't you."

As Jack pulled back further, Jessie could tell she still didn't believe her. The girl grimaced, sighed and nodded and went to sit beside Vic. Jessie smiled at Lydia who smiled back, took her hand and gave it a squeeze before finding a seat next to Coop.

"You okay there sugar?"

Something about the question made Jessie want to answer honestly. Or maybe it was the complete support she'd gotten from her Mom and Dad. Whatever it was, she found herself not answering with her usual quick yes.

"I don't know" she said slowly, looking at her Aunt. "I-I think I will be."

"And that there is exactly the right type of attitude to have. You may not be fine now, but you will be. Your family won't let you be anything but, am I right?" Aunt Riley said with a grin.

"Right" Jessie agreed with a smile of her own. She held up her hand and bumped fists with Jack's ten-year-old brother Carter, looking around after Riley had sent him into the conservatory with Leon and Paris.

"Where's, ah, where's U-Uncle Wyatt?" she asked timidly.

"He's in the foyer hun. He didn't want to orb straight in here and scare you" Riley answered softly. Jessie sighed and braced herself.

"Ah, you can come in" she called in a shaky voice. She grabbed onto Laura's hand as her Uncle slowly walked into the room.

Even preparing herself didn't stop the horror and fear that crashed over her when she saw his face. Her breath caught in her throat and her blood began to spit and boil, imaginary intense heat filling her up and seemingly burning her alive. Her skin crawled and crackled and images began to flash before her eyes. She could hear her own breathing kick up into high gear, making the room spin. As she felt Laura squeeze her hand, her parents surround her and Vic lay his hand on her shoulder, she began to shake.

"Oh shit. Oh damn. God damn it. I'll go" Wyatt muttered despairingly.

"N-no!" Jessie managed to force out. _"Maxwell, help me!"_

He was at her side in an instant. _"Okay, breathe love. That's it. Good girl. Now how about you focus on the differences hmm?"_

"_D-differences?"_

"_Yeah, he looks different doesn't he? Your Uncle's at least twenty years older than him. Can you see that? Can you see the wrinkles around his eyes?"_

Jessie closed her eyes and gulped a few times before opening them again and focusing on the corners of his eyes. Wrinkles? Yes, he had wrinkles around his eyes and around his mouth as well. _He_ didn't have those. She looked back at Maxwell, not noticing the hand on her shoulder tense, form an angry fist and then abruptly get pulled away.

"_Good. Good girl. What else love?"_

"_H-his hair. It's s-shorter."_

"_It is. And lighter. Your Uncle has some grey in there. Now I want you to focus on his eyes. What's different about his eyes Jessie?"_

She gripped Laura's hand tight and took a deep breath. The fact that she could take a breath at all meant that she was slowly calming down. The fire was slowly fading as Wyatt, her Uncle, began to separate himself from Evil Wyatt in her mind. She looked into his eyes, searching them with everything she had.

"_They're… they're kinder. And warmer. More human."_

"_Yes. Yes that's right! Well done Jessie!"_

"_He's not a monster. He's my Uncle. He's not him."_

"You're not him" she whispered, slowly getting to her feet. The fire was gone, along with the panic and fear. "You're not him. You're not him, you're not him, you're not him."

"Oh God, Jessie, no I'm not. I love you. So, so much and I'm so incredibly sorry."

"I love you too" she whispered and shot across the room into her Uncle's arms. Wyatt hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry."

"It's not your fault. You're not him. You're _not_ him" she mumbled determinedly against his chest. "You'll never be him. Never. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Wyatt pulled her back. "How could you possibly not react the way you did Jessie? He tortured you and he had my face! It was completely understandable and you've got nothing to apologize for."

"I'm sorry anyway" she said and stepped back further. Wyatt laughed.

"Right back at you kiddo. Now, we came here for a reason right? Want to put the nastiness behind us and get this show on the road?"

She nodded and turned, heading back to the sofa. She smiled at Maxwell along the way, noticing out of the corner of her eye the way Vic was turned away from the room with his arms folded, tension vibrating from him.

"_Thank you."_

Maxwell returned her smile. _"No problem kid. Happy to help."_

She spun round at the snarl and the tinkle of orbing. But it wasn't someone uninvited arriving like she was expecting. It was someone leaving. Vic was gone.

"What…? What's wrong with him?" she asked with a frown as she looked at her parents.

"Maybe you better go find out" Lindsey said calmly.

Her frown turned to a scowl and she nodded decisively. He hadn't gone far, just to the attic, so it shouldn't take long. She needed to find out why he was in such a pisser of a mood.

"I'll be back" she said in a pretty good Schwarzenegger impression, grinning at her Aunt when Riley laughed. She orbed up to the attic, ready to confront the twin who had always been there for her, but in the time she needed him most, had done a runner.

* * *

**Quick A/N - A huge thank you to the guest reviewer Kirsty for your reviews! I really appreciate them and I'm sorry for not remembering to thank you earlier. I put more Chris in this chapter just for you, and he'll feature more in the next one as well. ;-) Thanks heaps to everyone else as well. Seeing a new email always makes me smile. You guys are awesome! **


	11. Catagory five brain storm

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Ten – Category five brain storm**

"_I'll be back" she said in a pretty good Schwarzenegger impression, grinning at her Aunt when Riley laughed. She orbed up to the attic, ready to confront the twin who had always been there for her, but in the time she needed him most, had done a runner._

* * *

She folded her arms and glared when she reappeared in the attic. Vic was standing in front of the Book, flicking through it with a lot more focus than usual.

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!"

Vic looked up at her words and Jessie was slightly taken aback by the look on his face. Usually any quote from the I Love Lucy show – a very old TV programme that Aunt Riley had gotten them both hooked on – got him to crack a smile, but not this time. His face was set in hard lines and his eyes were cool. She shivered, inexplicably reminded of the crystal hard gaze of Evil Wyatt.

She pushed that unbelievable reaction to the back of her mind and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well? Wanna tell me why you decided to take off right when we were about to start?"

He shrugged and looked back down at the Book again. "Didn't seem like I was needed."

Jessie's mouth fell open. "Weren't needed? What the hell are you talking about? Of course you were needed!"

Vic looked up again and this time Jessie had to stifle a gasp. She'd thought his eyes were cold before? That was nothing compared to this! She'd _never_ seen his eyes this frigid. It was like she was looking into a vast icy ocean, no emotion whatsoever on display. He was indifferent. And that wasn't him at all. If there was ever a guy who embraced showing emotion, it was her twin. She swallowed, suddenly concerned.

"Vic? What's wrong?"

Jessie flinched as he chuckled bitterly, slammed the Book shut and strode out from behind it. He leaned casually back against the stand and sent her a sardonic smile.

"Oh, nothing, sister dear. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Why don't you go back down and join your new friend _Maxwell. _I'll just potter around up here, since I'm clearly the third wheel in your new relationship!"

Jessie blinked. The tone of his voice. It was almost as if he was…

"Victor, are you _jealous?_"she asked incredibly. "Of my friendship with Maxwell?"

"Oh, no, no. Why would I be? Never mind that _I'm_ you twin brother, the person who's been next to you your whole life, sharing everything, always supporting you and _always in your head._ And then suddenly I get replaced by a foreign pretty boy who only redeeming quality is he can get a teenage girls hormones rampaging!"

He abruptly stood up and began to pace agitatedly, Jessie watching his every move in confusion and disbelief.

"I mean, come on, you could have at least talked to me about it first instead of just shutting me out and focusing on him! I would have understood! But noooo, you just suddenly cut me off and begin using him as your touchstone instead! Leaving me flailing, suddenly severed, like a chicken with its head cut off!"

By this stage he was close to yelling. Anger and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on was pumping off him, and Jessie was shocked speechless. Vic was very much like their Dad when it came to the darker emotions. He was a laid-back type of person and it took a lot to get him worked up. She could count on one hand how many times she'd seen him display any type of negative emotion. It just wasn't him. But when something did get him fired up, like Chris, he exploded. All at once and all over the people in his vicinity. He was the complete opposite to Jessie, who, like Lindsey, brooded and could hold a grudge like nobody's business.

And as always, his anger set off her own. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I have no idea what you're bitching about, but you can just stop! Now isn't the time to have a temper tantrum!"

"_Temper tantrum?!_"

His softly hissed words seemed to fill the room and once again, Jessie shivered. Why the hell was she afraid all of a sudden? He was her brother for God's sake! There was nothing to be afraid of! She swallowed hard and tried to calm her racing heart.

"You think I'm having a _temper tantrum?!_ Who the hell are you and what have you done with my sister?! My best friend?! The one person I thought I could always count on?!"

Jessie threw up her hands as her anger surged forth to overshadow her fear. "You want to talk about counting on someone Vic?! What about you?! You abandoned me down there!"

"You didn't need me down there!" Vic shouted. "You had _him!_ The man you are letting in your head while locking me out!"

She groaned. "Is that what this is all about? You're upset because I'm protecting you?"

He reached up to tug at his hair and snarled in frustration. "You're not protecting me! You're protecting yourself and not letting me help you! You're relying on a stranger instead of me and it's not right Jessie!"

She'd had enough. He was angry with her for a stupid reason, making her sweat and tremble, and the irrational fear that was spreading through her as he shouted was spinning her out.

"Fine! You want to know what's going on inside my head?! Find out for yourself then!" she bellowed and with swift mental sweep of her hand, her shields came crashing down.

Victor's eyes lit for a spilt second as his presence bulleted through her mind. But then his sister focused on the memories that haunted her. Memories of terror and pain. A lot of pain. His elation very quickly left to be replaced by horror. Jessie moaned at the memories, but it was nothing compared to her brother's reaction.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Vic's legs gave way on him as he shouted the remembered agony coming from Jessie's mind. Downstairs a similar shout echoed up to them as Maxwell was dragged into her memories as well. Jessie whimpered and fell to her knees beside her twin.

"Oh God, oh God, Victor I'm sorry! This is why! This is why I kept you out! I'll shut it off!"

"No!" Vic managed to say through gritted teeth as he blanketed her memories, dulling and soothing them. "No, don't do that."

He turned over on to his back and sucked in large lungfuls of air. The smile he sent her was more of a grimace.

"This is what I wanted" he said in a gravelly, cracking voice. "If you share the memories with me, I can make them softer. Less painful. I can-"

They both turned at the sound of orbing to see their father appear. Chris hurried to his son's side, concern lighting up his bottle green eyes.

"Vic? What happened? Are you okay?"

Vic smiled wanly. "I'm fine Dad. Jessie finally took her shields down and I wasn't prepared for it, that's all. It just overwhelmed me for a moment."

Chris looked between his children, from Jessie who was looking upset and guilty, to Vic who behind the residue pain, was looking triumphant. He hid his relief at what looked like the beginning of his daughter finally opening up and gave the twins a hard look.

"Maybe warn us you're going to do something like that next time? You dropped Maxwell like a rock and caused a frenzy downstairs, not to mention the heart attack you gave your mother when she heard the pained shouting."

Jessie and Vic shared a look and both of them had the decency to look contrite.

"Sorry Dad" they said together. Chris chuckled and helped his daughter get Vic to his feet.

"So you going to come down now and get this meeting started?" he asked. Jessie and Vic once again looked at each other. Jessie was the first to look away.

"In a moment. We're not quite finished here" Vic said quietly with a pointed look at his sister, who scowled.

"Well don't take too long" Chris said in amusement. "You have got people waiting."

He'd always found it funny how much like Piper his son could be at times. The look he'd just sent Jessie was the same look that had cowered him, Wyatt and Melinda many times over when they were children.

Jessie and Vic both nodded in agreement, their attention focused on each other. Chris shook his head at how rapidly he'd been pushed into the background and orbed back downstairs to placate his wife.

~0~

Vic took a deep breath as he drifted through his sister's thoughts. There were shadowy, dark patches in her mind that hadn't been there before she'd been kidnapped. And that fact broke his heart. Jessie had never been a glass half-full type of person, but she'd never been gloomy either. Had never been depressed. But at least he could help her through it now. If she let him and didn't go to Maxwell. He scowled.

"What's the matter now?"

Vic couldn't help but grin at her exasperated sigh.

"Nothing major. At least not anymore, now that you've stopped being so stubborn. A problem shared is a problem halved sis."

Jessie snorted. "God, that's a cliché."

He laughed. "It may be but it's also true. You shouldn't have locked me out the way you did. Not only did it hurt, it felt… wrong. Like _we_ were wrong. Not complete, you know?"

Jessie sighed. She understood what the other emotion had been now. She'd hurt him. Badly. She's known she had been, but she hadn't realised just how much.

"Yeah. Yeah I know. And I'm sorry. But I was only doing it because I didn't want you to suffer with me. We both didn't have to go through that."

"There you go, being the hero again" Vic said with a grin and Jessie's mouth twisted. "Did you ever think that maybe _I_ could help _you_ this time? It's what I'm here for Jessie. Or at least I was before Maxwell."

Jessie looked at him curiously. "What is your problem with him?" she asked.

Vic ran a hand through his hair. "I don't have a problem with him per se. I guess I was just a little shocked that I was thrown over so quickly in favour of him. It's to be expected I guess, but it was still surprising, especially considering a few days ago you were interested in Matt."

"Wait" Jessie said with a frown. "What? You don't think there's something going on between me and Maxwell, do you?"

Vic looked at her steadily. "You two are really close."

Jessie laughed. She couldn't help it. Her and Maxwell? That was the funniest thing she'd ever heard! Just the thought of it was… Eww.

"Yes, we're close now, but that's because we went through the kidnapping together Vic! Up until now, he was the only one who knew exactly what I went through, and he was the one who essentially got us out of there. I can talk to him because he saw it all first hand. And the only reason I'm talking to him in my head is because my shields didn't keep him out. They're only tailored to you, which I didn't know until his voice was in my mind and yours wasn't. There's nothing going on between us apart from that! He's a friend. A good friend, but still _only_ a friend! That would just be wrong! He calls me kid for God's sake!"

She stepped forward and took his hand. "You are my brother Vic. My twin brother. And you will _always_ be my twin brother. Nothing, no matter who it is or what the relationship status is, will ever come between that."

She grinned. "You're stuck with me Vicky, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Victor's eyes lit up, dispelling the last of Jessie's fear, and he laughed and pulled Jessie into a hard hug.

"It wouldn't be too soppy if I said that I'm incredibly glad to hear you say that, would it?" he asked as he squeezed her tight.

Jessie pulled back and grinned at him. "Probably, but I'll let you away with it this once. Now are we all sorted? We really do need to head back down."

"Yeah, I think so. But Jessie" he said as they headed for the stairs, "If you ever cut me out like that again, I won't be so polite. I'll break down those shields if I have too."

"Right back at you little bro" Jessie said and laughed when Vic groaned. "Oh, and one other thing. Even if I was interested in Maxwell, which I'm not, I wouldn't do anything about it anyway."

"Why not?" Vic asked with a frown.

"Well there are a couple of reasons which you'll learn about soon, but the main one is The Girl Code."

"The Girl Code?"

"Yup" Jessie said with a nod. "You never move on someone that your girlfriend has already staked a claim on. Laura" she said as Vic looked more confused. "She's got a crush on Maxwell and I think the feeling is mutual."

Vic stopped dead in the middle of the hallway. "Oh hell no" he growled as he glared in the direction of the sitting room. "That is so not going to happen! He's over a decade older than her!"

"So you were okay with it when it was me, but you're not with her?" Jessie questioned in amusement as she turned back to look at him.

Vic shook his head. "I wasn't okay with it when it was you, but at least you can handle yourself! Laura is innocent! He'll rip her heart to pieces!"

Jessie snorted. "Not that innocent Vic. Don't look at me like that!" she said when Victor looked outraged. "She's a confident teenage girl as well as being a Halliwell. She can handle herself more than you think. Besides, she'll be eighteen next month. She can do whatever she likes then."

She pointed a finger at him. "You keep out of it okay? We don't even know if anything's going to happen and I've got my eye on the situation. You sticking your nose it will just make it worse."

Vic sighed and started walking again. He grumbled all the way down the stairs and into the sitting room while his sister watched him, once again in amusement. Lord, he could be such an adult at times.

~0~

Jessie couldn't help the abrupt burst of panic that surged through her when they walked into the sitting room and she saw her Uncle. She gasped slightly and gripped Vic's hand tight as her heart seemed to slam out of her chest. Wyatt's face crumbled as he took in her reaction. He got up as if to leave.

"No! Don't go. I'll be fine. It's just an automatic reflex. Please stay" she said as she took a few slow, deep breaths. "You aren't him. You _aren't. _I know that, even if my body doesn't seem to quite yet."

"It will sugar. You just have to spend some more time with him to help you distinguish the two" Riley said with a soft, soothing smile at her husband. She took his hand and rubbed it gently. Wyatt settled back down with a wary glance at his niece.

"So did you two sort your differences?" Lindsey asked, turning the attention away from her brother-in-law. Vic and Jessie looked at her.

"Ah huh. I just had to knock the stubbornness out of her, that's all" Vic said with a cheeky grin at his sister, who rolled her eyes.

"Sounds pretty familiar to me" Chris muttered, looking at his wife slyly. Lindsey sent him a haughty look as the room laughed.

"Be careful you don't have to sleep on the couch tonight Christopher" Lindsey told him sweetly with a hint of steel. Her husband grinned, not looking at all worried, and put his arm around her.

"So want to tell us why we're all here?" Parker asked as Jessie and Vic took their original seats. Jessie nodded before quickly turning to Maxwell.

"Sorry about not warning you before. I was a little angry and didn't think."

"No! Really?" Maxwell said with a grin. Across the room, Vic snorted and the two shared a tentative smile. "That's okay kid. I felt it was about time the floor and I made our acquaintances."

"He may be okay with it, but it terrified me. Please don't do it again" Laura murmured firmly as she leaned over to her cousin. Jessie looked at her. A crush? Maybe it was a little more than that.

"_It's not going to get any further than that!"_

"_Leave it alone Victor. I told you I had it handled didn't I?"_ she said with a pointed look at her brother. Secretly she was thrilled. Hearing him in her mind again brought everything back into place.

"_What are you two on about?"_

Both Jessie and Vic jumped at Maxwell's voice. They'd forgotten all about the fact that he could hear what they were thinking to each other. They shared a look and quickly closed their mental conversation. It wouldn't do for Maxwell to find out about their discussion. Jessie ignored his question and turned to the room.

"Okay, so you all know what happened to me. There are some things Evil Wyatt said during the, ah, t-torture…" she cleared her throat and took a few more deep breaths, trying to push away the rising memories. Suddenly Vic's presence washed over her mind, dampening the pain and turmoil. She smiled at him gratefully.

"_See where stubbornness gets you?"_

She stuck out her tongue at him, making everyone chuckle.

"So he said some things that didn't make sense at the time, but I think they do now."

"What did he say?" PJ asked curiously. Jessie took another deep breath and looked at Ben.

"He recognized you" she stated. Ben blinked and frowned.

"What? How could he? I've never met him before!" he exclaimed.

"That's what I thought. But his exact words were 'Imagine my surprise when I recognized the man with the scar and realized who the Time Keeper was to him.'"

"How'd you get the scar anyway?" Kat asked suddenly, then looked at her husband when Andrew shook his head. "What? We were all wondering it!"

"You didn't have to ask outright like that though Kitten. It's rude" he said.

"Yeah, _Kitty Kat. _Try for a little decorum" Parker teased her with a smug grin. Andrea smacked her on the arm while Kat glared at her before sighing and grimacing and sending Ben an apologetic look. Parker and Kat still didn't get along very well and Kat still hated that name.

"It's okay" Ben said with a smile. "It's not like it can be missed. I was attacked with a knife when I was boy. I wasn't exactly an innocent kid and I ran with the wrong crowd. One day the gang I was in were attacked by a rival gang and in all the chaos, I didn't see the guy coming at me. It was only a stroke of luck that the knife didn't get me in the stomach where the kid was aiming."

He looked around the room at the people riveted by his story.

"A scream sounded behind me and I automatically turned and ducked. That reflex saved my life. The knife caught me in the face and ripped down my throat and into my chest, stopping just above my heart. I don't remember much after that. But I do remember praying that I wouldn't die and waking up and being overjoyed that my prayers were answered. It was a wake-up call. With a lot of help from a kind-hearted social worker, I got out of the gang and began turning my life around. I'd terrified my parents and as soon as I got out of the hospital, we moved away. With my scar as a constant reminder, I focused on getting better and on the magical side of my heritage. I also kept in contact with the social worker who helped me and eventually decided that I wanted to help others like he'd helped me."

"It's good you did, otherwise I wouldn't be here" Maxwell said as he grinned at his father. Ben sent him a returning grin.

Jessie sat back. He'd been attack with a knife? One aiming for his stomach? Pretty coincidental, and it just supported her theory.

"Right, so he recognized you" she said after it became clear he'd finished his story. "That wasn't all he said. He also said that by taking the both of us he was, ah, killing two Chris's with one stone" she said in a rush.

Beside her, her parents went very, very still. She saw her mother slowly look over at Maxwell, realization and hope dawning over her features.

"What? That doesn't make any sense!" Maxwell stated with a confused frown.

"Yes it does" Jessie said quietly. She looked at Wyatt. "It's possible for Evil Wyatt to develop powers you don't have right?"

"Sure it is" he answered, confused. "He was bought up in a different environment to me. He would have developed powers that reflected that environment."

Jessie nodded. "Well I think he can sense auras. I think he recognized your aura Ben because it holds hints of who you used to be in a past life. Someone who Evil Wyatt was very familiar with."

Piper gasped and grabbed Leo's hand, looking at Ben in wonder. Lindsey smiled at him gently, happiness radiating off her. Chris was frowning, looking between his wife and Ben. Everybody else just looked confused.

"_Jessie, my dear, you're not saying…"_

She looked at her brother and nodded. Vic's eyes widened.

"Wanna cut to the chase kid? Some of us are still in the dark here."

Jessie looked at Lydia, who was looking both intrigued and confused and then at Paris and Carter, who even though they weren't part of the conversation, or even in the room, she could tell were still listening. Jack was grinning. Jessie braced herself and looked over at the older Londoner.

"I think… I think Ben was Christopher Perry Halliwell in a past life. Brother to Evil Wyatt, and someone who came from the future to stop his brother turning evil."


	12. Magical crinkles

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Chapter Eleven – Magical crinkles**

"_I think… I think Ben was Christopher Perry Halliwell in a past life. Brother to Evil Wyatt, and someone who came from the future to stop his brother turning evil."_

* * *

Ben laughed. He stared at her for a full ten seconds, face blank, and then he laughed. Jessie frowned as he clutched his sides, his laughter echoing through the otherwise silent room.

"Okay, I've heard some things in my time, but that really takes the cake. I'm the reincarnated version of your Dad? That doesn't even make sense, considering he's sitting right there! That's one hell of an imagination you've got there love" he said, shaking his head and continuing to chuckle. "Want to tell me how you came up with this insane theory?"

"I'd like to know that as well" Maxwell said as he too frowned at his father. He didn't have to be so rude!

"It was Evil Wyatt who put the idea in my head" Jessie said quietly. "And you're not the reincarnated version of _my_ Dad. Not the Chris sitting here right now. You're the reincarnated version of a Chris Halliwell who existed over 40 years ago."

"_Ah, Jessie, maybe you better not…"_

"One who cast a spell to come to the past, to the year's 2003 and 2004, to stop his brother from being turned" she continued, ignoring Vic. She wanted to get this out. "In his future, Uncle Wyatt was the Ruler of All Evil, and the other Chris somehow figured out that his turning happened when he was a toddler. So he came back to stop it. Unfortunately he died in the process, just as my Dad was being born. That's how you came to be."

Ben blinked and looked dumbfounded for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. Someone else beat him to it though.

"My _Dad_ was the _Ruler of All Evil?! _In another timeline? Why the hell didn't I know about this?!"

Jessie cringed at Lydia's shriek. Ah, shit.

"_Told you so."_

"_Shut up Victor!"_

She sighed and threw her Uncle an apologetic look. He grimaced, shrugged, and turned to his eldest, who was glaring at him impressively.

"I doesn't have any impact on the here and now Lydia" he said quietly. "I'm not evil, and I never will be, so we didn't think you really needed to know."

"You thought I didn't need to know? What a load of crock! And it does too have an impact on the here and now! Jessie was kidnapped and tortured wasn't she? By someone who looks very much like you? Or did you lie to me about that as well?!"

"Lydia Lorraine Halliwell, watch your tone!" Riley snapped as Jessie stared at her cousin in shock. She'd never seen her this worked up before. She hadn't even realised she could _get_ this worked up! Lydia pouted and folded her arms, but closed her mouth.

"I agree with her" a calm, quiet voice said and everyone turned to look at Jack. Lydia looked surprised. "I found out about this in the past and the only reason I did was because the twins had to tell me, so we wouldn't mess anything up."

She met her father's eyes steadily. "You should have told us Dad. It was something major that happened in your life. We had a right to know."

"Yeah! We did!" Carter cried from the conservatory. He very quickly pulled back into himself when everyone's attention focused on him, especially his mother's glare.

Riley turned her glare on to her two daughters and took her husband's hand. Wyatt was staring at the opposite wall, deep frown lines disturbing his brow. She squeezed his hand tightly.

"The decision to not tell you was made by both your father and I, and we had good reasons for it. This is not the time or place to discuss those reasons. We'll do that at home tonight. Do I make myself clear?" she said as she stared between her children.

Jack met her gaze silently before frowning and nodding, and Carter just shrugged. He was quite happy to wait. It didn't really matter to him anyway, he'd only spoken up to support his sisters and be included. It was Lydia who protested. She threw her mother a brooding, sulky glare and huffed in annoyance. Jessie had to hold back laughter.

"_She looks like a two-year-old about to throw a hissy fit, doesn't she?"_

Jessie choked and quickly cleared her throat. She glanced at her brother in amusement, but he was looking in the opposite direction, a very innocent expression on his face. She smirked and looked back at the family to find Aunt Riley looking back at her.

"Maybe you want to carry on with this theory or yours sugar?" she suggested pointedly. Jessie nodded and turned back to Ben.

"Anyway, I think Evil Wyatt recognized his brother in your aura and took Maxwell because he's your son. He wants revenge against Chris because he thinks he betrayed him."

She turned to look at her father, whose eyes were narrowed. "It's the reason he took me as well. Two Chris's, one stone."

"That doesn't prove a thing" Ben scoffed as he folded his arms.

"We called you" Laura said quietly. She swallowed when everyone looked at her. "The spell. We called family and you came. 'Blood to blood.' It fits."

"It would certainly explain why he turned up when he shouldn't have" Paige said. "The full version of the spell shouldn't have brought him here. The only way it would have is if the person brought is related to the person calling."

"Who called? Who cast the spell?" Penny asked. Laura flushed and looked down.

"I did" she whispered. "I thought I did it wrong."

"You didn't" Jessie told her with a small smile. "It did exactly what it was supposed to do. Well, nearly."

"You also remembered that fact about Chris changing the future" Wyatt said slowly as he looked at Ben. "You shouldn't have known that. It was something only Chris himself and his family knew about."

"So I read it somewhere!" Ben said as he threw up his hands in exasperation. "Doesn't mean I'm someone else!"

"You're still you Dad" Maxwell said quietly, his gaze very firmly on his father, avoiding Lindsey's continuous, not-so-subtle glances. They were making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Not according to this lot" Ben snorted.

"You have the same colour eyes" Tammy mused and Ben snorted again.

"That doesn't prove anything! So does about a quarter of the population! Christ, my son has the same colour eyes as me, and we aren't even related by blood! It's just a coincidence!"

"No. No, I really don't think it is" Lindsey said softly, once again looking at Maxwell. She turned and looked beseechingly at her husband.

"Do you remember? He said he'd be his guide!" She again glanced briefly at Maxwell before turning back and ticking off points on her fingers. "Green eyes. A powerful being. He can hear Jessie and Vic. And Maxwell, Chris! Maxwell!"

Chris frowned at her for a moment before he went still, his face going slack. He stared into his wife's violet eyes before slowly turning to lock eyes with Maxwell, who was looking back confused.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me" Vic groaned. Jessie looked between her parents and the Time Keeper, frowning. What were they talking about?

"_Think about it sis. Why are you so close to him? Why can we hear him? He also has a very familiar name, one he shares with our older brother if you shortened it, which he occasionally does. Interesting, don't you think?"_

Jessie gasped, shock coursing through her. Why the hell didn't she make that leap? She knew the story, and the other Chris had promised her parents he'd his guide! Lord, she was an idiot!

"_You said it, I didn't."_

She ignored Vic's cheerful little whisper and looked at Maxwell. The older man was frowning at the two of them.

"You have an older brother?" he questioned and beside him, Laura sucked in a sharp breath. She turned to look at her crush, disappointment dawning across her features.

"Of course they don't" Andrea said and then looked around at the tense, awkward silence. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, what don't I know?"

"The same thing I don't apparently" Ben growled. "Someone want to quit the cryptic bullshit and bloody well explain please?!"

When it didn't look like anybody was going to say anything, Paige sighed. "Okay so I guess it falls on me again. It's a really long story, so I'll use the condensed version."

She looked around the room. All of the partners looked interested and intrigued, as did Lydia, Paris and Carter. The two tweens were now not even pretending not to listen. Leon was still happily occupied in his playpen, seemingly without a care in the world.

"Right, so you already know that a different version of Chris came back from a darker future to stop baby Wyatt being turned. He managed to do that, and him a Lindsey, who grew up in that time, fell in love in the process."

She looked around again. Ben looked stunned. His gaze was on Lindsey, who was smiling back at him gently. Chris was glaring at him, and Jessie rolled her eyes. Her father's possessiveness was rearing its head again.

"They got together and were going to go to the future together, but then Chris took a knife to the stomach."

Jessie caught the way Ben started slightly when this information was revealed.

"The knife was cursed and it made the wound unhealable. Chris died with Leo and Lindsey right next to him." She hesitated. "What he didn't know when he died was that Lindsey was pregnant."

Jessie heard Maxwell breathe in in shock. Even though she'd heard the story before, she couldn't help feeling sad. It didn't have a happy ending.

"_Hey, I'd call us a happy ending!"_

"_We aren't the ending to that story Vic. We're the beginning of a new one."_

"_Wow. Deep sis. But quite true."_

"_Would you two shut it? I'm trying to listen here!"_

Jessie turned back to her Great Aunt, ignoring Maxwell completely.

"She got a visit from an Angel of Destiny who told her to go to the future without Chris. So we cast a spell and she went. She came tumbling out of the wall one random day, taking us totally by surprise."

"And I got TK'd for my trouble" Lindsey said with a grin at Wyatt. He looked sheepish.

"Hey, I didn't know who you were at the time!" he protested.

"Yeah, yeah" Lindsey said and Chris laughed.

"Anyway" Paige said with a smirk, "she got here to find Chris didn't have a clue who she was. He was also engaged to someone else."

"Ouch" Tamora's husband Mark said with a wince and a sympathetic glance. Lindsey sent him a small smile.

"Both Chris and Wyatt didn't know of the original timeline, but they eventually found out. Just like Chris found out about the other him and Lindsey's relationship."

"And the baby?" Maxwell questioned softly. Paige sighed.

"We were made to think that Lindsey lost it."

~0~

"Oh my God. You miscarried? Oh Lindsey, I'm so sorry" Andrea said into the silence. She frowned when Lindsey shook her head.

"I didn't miscarry. I was thrown down the attic stairs. And my baby was stolen from me in the process."

Now everyone looked horrified, as well as shocked and confused. Lindsey sighed and sat forward.

"See, there's this things called Soul Vessels. They used to be used to transport the recycled souls of Elders back down to earth. A Vessel can carry any magical soul and can even transform a foetus back into a soul while it's in its first trimester. The Elders eventually stopped using them and they were locked away. Until one was stolen."

She took her husband's hand, lifted his arm and curled back against him. Chris kissed the top of her head.

"The Vessel that was stolen was used to take my baby from me, though I didn't know that at the time. I thought I'd just lost it. We found out the truth later."

"Why was the bébé taken?" Luc asked gently. He had Mel drawn back against him, and he was rubbing his hand up and down her side in comfort.

"It was the offspring of a Halliwell and a Ravenblood-" Piper said as she took over the story.

"What's a Ravenblood?" Paris asked and Lindsey lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers.

"That's me. The Ravenblood line is a very powerful line of witches who date back to an Irish Elemental Sprite. A Queen" she explained.

"So being the offspring of the two" Piper continued, "It'll be powerful itself. A group of demons called Baynock Demons took it and the Vessel so their leader could kidnap a witch who was trying to have a baby and steal her womb to grow it in. The leader was going to raise it evil."

"Obviously that didn't happen" Mark said. Piper nodded.

"No. We found out that the baby was stolen and we went after it." She looked at Chris hesitantly. "We also found out who took the baby. Who the person was that was in cahoots with the demons."

"Who was it?" Ben asked.

"My fiancée" Chris said shortly. "The woman I thought I loved and was going to marry stole my child. She threw Lindsey down the stairs, with no regard for her life, took the baby, and used a potion to convince her she'd miscarried."

~0~

Seeing how much the story was hurting her parents, Jessie decided to speed things along. She skipped all the little details and cut right to the chase.

"To cut a very long story even shorter, Mom and Aunt Kat got kidnapped by Bianca and Baynock Demons, Mom got stabbed and nearly died but Dad found her in time and healed her. He then went after Bianca and the Vessel and Bianca… well she destroyed the Vessel."

"Jesus…" Andrea whispered, her hand reaching for her fiancée's. Parker put her arm around her.

"We thought the soul was gone" Melinda said quietly. "But then Michael showed up-"

"Michael? The Elder?" Ben questioned and Mel nodded.

"Yeah. He showed up and bought with him, the other Chris, the one who had died in 2004. He'd been hanging around to make sure Lindsey found happiness. And with Chris came the baby. My brother and Lindsey had just enough time to say a proper goodbye before they both moved on to their next lives."

"He promised he would be with him and that he would take care of him. He said that our child would need a mentor of sorts, and that that person would be him. He promised to always be by his side."

Jessie and Vic exchanged a glance as their mother's muffled sentences added to the tense atmosphere. She was speaking with her face buried in her husband's chest. Losing the baby had destroyed Lindsey, both the fake first time, and the real second time. She still felt that pain today, close to twenty years later.

"Look, I'm sorry that happened to you, but how does that prove that I'm this Chris from the other timeline?" Ben asked in a tone that was a little gentler. Chris looked over at him, his hand continuously brushing over Lindsey's hair.

"He said he would be his guide. That kid looked exactly like me, including having green eyes, which you seem to have as well. You adopted a boy that has the same colour eyes as you. You adopted a boy who basically has the same name as my son."

"What?" Maxwell blurted out and Lindsey pulled away from her husband and stared straight at him.

"Max. My baby's name was Max."

"Oh come on!" Ben exclaimed as he threw up his hands. "You're now saying that Maxwell is the reincarnated version of your dead son?! That's taking it too far!"

"It makes sense" Phoebe said.

"No it doesn't! I think you're all just trying to con us!"

"Dad" Maxwell said, his voice calm, a complete contrast to his stormy eyes. "I can hear the twins."

"Yeah, so?" Ben asked as he turned to look at his son.

"I can telepathically hear Jessie and Vic. That's not one of my powers and I haven't suddenly developed it. There's got to be a reason for that."

"_So you believe the theory? Both of them?" _Jessie asked. Maxwell glanced at her.

"_I honestly don't know yet. They're kind of out there."_

"_Yeah, I guess it would be pretty freaky to suddenly acquire a new brother, sister, mother and father, all at the same time" _Vic said cheerfully.

"_I already have a mother and father."_

Jessie grimaced at his quiet statement.

"_But not siblings' bro. Man, we are going to have so much fun!" _Vic crowed. Maxwell snorted quietly and Jessie rolled her eyes.

"_That's one way to look at it, I guess."_

"You know, there _is_ one way we can find out" Penny said thoughtfully. "Cast the Past Life Spell."

Her mother looked at her. "That won't work. It sent me back into the body of my past life. We really don't want that to happen this time" she said.

"We can adjust it though, can't we?" Jack asked eagerly. She cringed and slumped back down when her mother glared at her.

"You won't be adjustin' anything Clementine Halliwell. Not after last time" Riley stated firmly.

"That wasn't my fault! It just happened!" Jack protested, only subsiding when her mother narrowed her eyes at her. She sighed and sat back again.

"Jack may not be able to-"

"I probably would be able to."

"Jack!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez."

"-but Aunt Phoebe can. She's the best at changing and creating spells" Tammy pointed out with a sympathetic smile at the younger witch.

"Sure I can" Phoebe said slowly. "But only if Ben agrees."

The Londoner scowled when everyone turned to look at him expectantly. Jessie pressed her lips together in annoyance. He really wasn't taking this very well. What was up with that? She looked at Maxwell, wondering if he knew why.

"_How would you like it if you were one person your whole life and then strangers come along and not only tell you that you're someone else, but your son is as well? If it turns out to be true, he's probably worried about the expectations."_

"_What expectations?"_

"_The one's he thinks you guys will have of him. And of me."_

He glanced at Lindsey when he said the last part, and Jessie suddenly realised that most of her mother's attention was once again on him, even though he wasn't part of the conversation at the moment. She grimaced. He had a point. She turned to look at Ben, who was still frowning indecisively.

"Do it Dad. If it's true, we need to know" Maxwell urged quietly.

Ben stared at his son for a long moment before his mouth twisted and he sighed. He turned to look at Phoebe.

"What do I need to do?"

"Just read the spell after I've changed it. Magic will do the rest" she answered in a gentle tone. She looked at Paige, who nodded. The youngest Charmed One held up her arms.

"Book of Shadows!"

The Book appeared in her arms in a swirl of orbs. Paige got up and handed it to Phoebe, who flipped through it until she found the spell. She nodded.

"We all want to see it right?"

When the family nodded, she picked up a pen and a piece of paper and began writing. It didn't take long. About five minutes later, she got up and handed the paper to Ben. He read it, grimaced and looked at his son again, who smiled at him encouragingly. He sighed, held up the paper and began to read.

_Remove the chains of time and space,  
__And bring forth to show us all,  
__What this mortal commands to face,  
__The life that flowed before._

He looked up as a yellowish light appeared out of nowhere and enveloped him. It twinkled over and around him before suddenly flowing out and spreading across blank wall above the fireplace. Jessie blinked as it formed what looked like a screen.

She drew in a sharp breath as a tall young man with dark brown hair and bright green eyes appeared on the screen, stepping through a glowing blue portal in the wall. He was scowling and he looked identical to her father, minus about twenty years or so. She watched as he rushed over and crouched down beside a _very_ young looking Piper Halliwell, holding his hand up in front of her face. He spoke to her and then looked past the stone statue standing in the middle of the attic and frowned again, his attention on the other side of the room. Jessie's eyes widened when she saw he was scowling at her Mom.

Another scene appeared on the screen. The young man was in a cage, desperately trying to avoid a souped-up version of a younger Leo. Jessie turned and stared at her Grandfather in shock. He was a pacifist! What was he doing with a sword? And why was he attacking his son?

Another change. Chris and Leo were running from… was that a T-Rex? Jessie shook her head.

And again. Lindsey was facing an older woman with light chocolate coloured skin and long dark hair. Jessie realised who she was when she threw a knife at Lindsey and kidnapped Chris. Bianca.

She stilled when Evil Wyatt appeared on the screen, her breath hitching a little, and her eyes widened when he threw up his hand and sent Bianca flying.

Straight into a very sharp piece of broken furniture. Jessie looked away as Chris pleaded with her to survive.

The next scene saw Chris yelling at Lindsey, who was looking rather annoyed herself. They got right up in each other's faces and then he was suddenly kissing her. She smirked when Vic groaned.

"_Oh God, no! I'm scarred for life!"_

She jumped when she suddenly saw herself, Vic and Jack on the screen, talking to Chris.

"You _spoke_ to him? What were you thinking?! You could have changed everything!"

The next scenes went by quickly, thankfully making pretty easy to ignore her mother's outraged hiss. Phoebe was a Genie and then Chris was a Spider Demon. An evil looking Chris and Leo stepped through a wall and then…

Chris was dying.

She grimaced and looked away again.

The next scene showed an endless white, empty space, with two men occupying it. The two men were almost carbon copies of one another.

An almost identical scene appeared next, but this time, one of the Chris's was TK-ing the other. He looked murderous.

Lindsey and the other Chris were standing in front of a white light, talking. He stepped towards her, grinned and then kissed her. Vic snorted out a laugh and Jessie rolled her eyes when their father growled and glared at Ben, who just looked confused.

Lastly, a very hazy looking Chris and an Elder who Jessie recognized as Michael, were standing in a room full of Halliwells. Jessie's eyes widened at how young her Uncle Henry Jnr and Aunt Penny were. They looked no older then Paris and Carter!

"Hey, is that you?" Andrea asked Parker, pointing at the teenage girl with long, glossy brown hair on the screen. She grinned when Parker nodded.

"You were cute at that age."

"I was sixteen. I was a pissed off, confused, snarky little brat" Parker said dryly.

"I'll say" Kat muttered, earning a snort from her youngest and a glare from her cousin.

"If you'd spoken to me about it, I could have helped you" Coop murmured as he looked at her daughter. Parker's mouth twisted.

"Like I said, I was sixteen."

They all turned back when a golden glow shone across the screen, and a little boy of about five years old appeared out of nowhere. He looked remarkably like Chris. Jessie's eyes met Vic's again as their mother made a desperate, choking sound. The boy spoke to his younger looking parents, then stepped back and took the other Chris's hand. They both faded until they were gone.

Expecting that to be it, Jessie turned to Ben. She frowned when she saw he was still staring at the screen. She turned back and her eyes widened.

The screen had blurred and some of the light had split to shine on Maxwell. It formed another scene, a scene where this time the little boy was the main character. He shot straight up into the sky and came to a stop in the clouds. He reached out his hand and the other Chris took it. They smiled at each other, both glowing gold and then they blurred, right before the scene did the same thing. It cleared again to show a young boy with dark auburn hair and green eyes scowling sullenly at a young man with blue/black hair and a large scar down the side of his face. The scowl slowly transformed into a joy-filled smile as the man spoke, and the boy sat up and launched himself into the man's arms. The man laughed as he hugged the ecstatic tween.

The screen sucked back into yellow light, pulled itself away from Maxwell and Ben and vanished as the spell came to an end. The room was silent.

"Was that last bit meant to be part of the spell?" PJ asked her mother. Phoebe shook her head wordlessly.

"At least it proved what it was supposed to" Laura murmured. She was looking at Maxwell, who was staring at the floor, looking rather shell-shocked. He looked up when Lindsey crouched down in front of him and took his hand. She took a deep, shaky breath and looked at him with a hesitant smile.

"Hello Max."


	13. The battlefield

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the orginal Charmed series

**Chapter Twelve – The battlefield**

"_At least it proved what it was supposed to" Laura murmured. She was looking at Maxwell, who was staring at the floor, looking rather shell-shocked. He looked up when Lindsey crouched down in front of him and took his hand. She took a deep, shaky breath and looked at him with a hesitant smile._

"_Hello Max."_

* * *

Maxwell stared at the women in front of him. He swallowed and Jessie could tell that he had no idea what to say. In fact, he was looking rather uncomfortable. She didn't blame him, had even expected the reaction. It was next to impossible to form an instant bond with a stranger, no matter how much the stranger wished for it.

"Ah… hey" Maxwell answered awkwardly. He grimaced and his eyes shot around the room in desperation when Lindsey beamed at him, hope pouring off her. Jessie and Vic exchanged a glance.

"Come on Mom, give him some space, would you?" Vic said teasingly as he got up and took Lindsey's arm. "You're terrifying the poor boy!"

Lindsey frowned at her son before looking back at the child she thought she had lost. She finally took in his expression and she stilled, disappointment flowing across her features before her face went blank. Maxwell frowned at her sudden emptiness in her eyes.

He looked up at the quiet growl from the sofa next to them. Chris was on his feet, a scowl on his face as he stared at his wife. He strode over to her and drew her to her feet, turning her towards him.

"Stop, Lindsey. You just have to give him time. Don't start this again. Please."

Her expression stayed blank for a long moment before she sighed and stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She mumbled something against his chest that Jessie couldn't hear, but she did hear the pain in her tone. Chris sighed and rested his cheek on the top of her head before leading her back to the sofa.

"_Was that The Mask?"_

Jessie looked over at her brother's soft question.

"_I think so."_

"_What's the mask?" _Maxwell asked as he frowned at the two of them.

"_It's the way Mom dealt with stuff. She hid her emotions when she couldn't handle them. We've only seen it a couple of times in our lifetime, but apparently she used to wear it all the time, especially after she first came to the future. Dad hates it" _Jessie explained.

Maxwell paled slightly. _"And now she's wearing it because of me?"_

"_She can't expect you to jump right into her arms Maxwell"_ Vic said with a sigh. _"Yes, in a past life you were her child, but you're not now. If she wants any type of relationship with you, she'll have to take it slow. It'll be hard for her to expect that though."_

Maxwell looked over at Vic in amazement and Jessie grinned at his expression. Her brother may act like a goof 99% of the time, but he was incredibly observant, as well as a lot more sensitive then he let on. Vic had his own version of a mask. And she really couldn't wait for the day that some special girl broke through his constant foolishness and drew out his heart.

"_Aww, Jessie that was so sweet! I didn't know you cared!"_

"_Oh, go shove your head down a toilet Vicky" _Jessie replied, her exasperated sigh hiding her embarrassment at thinking something so sappy. Her brother saw right through her though, just as he always did, and he grinned.

"_Good way to wash your hair, that" _he mused and Maxwell laughed aloud and shook his head. He blinked when Lindsey pulled away from her husband at the sound and looked at him. Her emotions were back, and as she looked between her twins and their newly found brother, she groaned.

"Oh God, they're never going to stop talking in their heads now" she said with a sigh and her own head shake. Chris grinned and Lindsey glared at him playfully before turning back to Maxwell.

"I, ah, I'm sorry for freaking you out" she said softly. "You're him, but you actually aren't, and that's going to be hard for me to handle for a while."

"That's okay, I understand" Maxwell said, equally as softly. "Your son and daughter are pretty much bloody brilliant, and then there's the prat who took Jessie and me. So it looks like I'll be hanging around for a while."

Lindsey broke into a wide smile and her shoulders slumped slightly in relief. Jessie also caught the way pleasure and relief spread across Laura's face before her mouth twisted and her own shoulders slumped. Jessie sighed. The young witch was interested in a guy who used to be the brother of her second cousin? Now there was a hell of a minefield to navigate. Add in the age difference… yeah, a _whole_ heap of fun.

Maxwell's head shot toward Jessie, his eyes wide. She frowned as Vic groaned in her head.

"_He can hear you sister dear. Maybe you should watch what you're thinking hmm? Especially if it's stuff you don't want revealed?"_

Her frown deepened What? What was he talking about…

"_Ah, shit."_

Vic snorted. _"Yeah, I'll say."_

~0~

Pretending that she hadn't just accidently revealed a secret her best friend would have most definitely wanted her to keep, as well as ignoring the way Maxwell was now looking at Laura, Jessie turned to the other occupants of the room. Lindsey hadn't been the only one who had been thrilled at who the Londoners had turned out to be in their past lives. The oldest generation were smiling as well, Piper and Leo's smiles the widest.

Piper got up and walked over to Ben, who was looking about as confused and stunned as his son had been. She reached out and took his hand in a loose grip.

"Welcome back" she said quietly. She smiled again when Ben scowled at her. "You know, you only just remind us of him more when you do that."

"Do what?" Ben asked in confusion.

"Scowl. Chris did it all the time" she explained with a soft laugh. "It was one of his trademarks."

"He had more than one?" Maxwell asked as he turned from thoughtfully contemplating the girl beside him, who seemed oblivious. Paige laughed as well.

"Yup. Though I would call them faults." She grinned when Piper and Leo both glared at her. "Okay, okay, maybe not faults. More like quirks. He was insanely neurotic, annoying secretive and would get frustrated at the drop of a hat. He would also get defensive very easily, quite a lot like someone else in this room" she teased.

"Their personalities are similar" Lindsey mused quietly as she smiled at Ben as he scowled again. "That's not a bad thing though."

"Course you would think that, you fell for that personality" Chris grumbled. Lindsey looked at him in amusement.

"Down tiger" she murmured, patting his leg. Chris growled and his wife laughed at him before scooting over and crawling into his lap.

"Twenty years versus one Chris."

Chris sighed and buried his face into her hair. "I know. But I can't help it. I love you beautiful."

"Not nearly as much as I love you."

Jessie looked at her brother in confusion as her mother mumbled against her husband's throat, and he answered her. What was that about? Vic looked back at her and shrugged. Their parents had their own secret language that both Vic and Jessie had tried to decipher a few times over the years. They'd never succeeded. No matter how hard they listened, they never heard the true meaning behind their parents' words. But Chris and Lindsey certainly did.

Chris looked up from the woman he loved, his eyes landing on Ben and moving to Maxwell to linger. If Jessie hadn't known her father so well, she would have missed the strong emotion in his eyes. She couldn't tell what it was, but she knew that it was ruling him at the moment.

"You're both more than welcome to stay as long as you like. This was once your home; please feel free to think of it that way again."

A corner of Maxwell's mouth turned up at Chris's words, hesitant acceptance in his eyes. Ben frowned again and looked away, but it was more of a confused expression than anything else. Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie saw Vic make an almost involuntary jerk-like movement, his face twisting before settling back into a calm expression.

"We already have a home mate" Ben said, sighing when his son raised an eyebrow at him in annoyance. "But thanks for the offer I guess."

Vic smirked as Jessie turned and glared at the older man.

"_Calm down sis. You should be happy. We're finally getting to see the way the other Chris was before Mom's influence. Don't you want to know where yours came from?"_

Jessie stared at him in shock. _"I'm not that bad, am I?"_

"_Course you're not kid"_ Maxwell assured her as he frowned at Vic, whose smirk had grown. _"Neither is he really. He's just shocked and incredibly thrown at the moment. Don't take it to heart. He's a good guy deep down."_

"_Way deep down" _Vic said and then held up his hands when Maxwell rounded on him, his eyes shooting daggers. Jessie sighed.

"_Cool it Vic, would you?" _she said to her brother, narrowing the focus as best she could in the hope that only he could hear her. _"You're not making this any easier."_

Vic shrugged indifferently. _"Hey, if they're eventually going to be part of this family, they'll have to get used to it"_ he said.

Jessie's eyes narrowed. There had been something else behind his seemingly casual words. Something that hadn't been there before. Something that sounded a lot like… resentment?

Before she could question it, Ben spoke again.

"This is all right and good, and I'm sure both my son and I will take you up on your hospitality, but don't you think we should move on to the elephant in the room?"

"Yes, we should. We need to figure out what to do about the other me" Wyatt said calmly.

"He's not you" Jessie said automatically, then flushed, and shifted in her seat when her Uncle threw her an extremely grateful look. "But we do need to deal with him."

"How?" Melinda asked. "He may not be part of this family, in fact he's probably more of an enemy than anything else, but he's still our blood."

"As much as it pains me to say this, I think there's really only one way to deal with him" Leo said.

"Vanquish him?" Tammy questioned, and drew in a sharp breath when the former Elder nodded.

"Can we do that?"

"Speaking as an outsider, you may not have a choice" Luc spoke up. "I mean… Ah ! Cet homme semble fou !"

"I don't just think he _seems _crazy, I think he is" Vic said and looked indignant when everyone gaped at him. "What?! I do pay attention in French you know!"

"Only so you can pick up girls with it" Jessie muttered and then laughed when Vic nodded eagerly.

"Of course!"

"And you're not an outsider babe. You're very much a part of this family now" Mel said as she smiled at her new husband. Luc's answering smile was slow and smouldering. Jessie rolled her eyes as her can't-be-rattled Aunt actually blushed under his hot look. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear and Mel giggled.

"Getaroom" Vic fake coughed and his Aunt looked over at him, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe we will" she teased and Vic's face twisted in disgust.

"Ugh, not something I really wanted to picture, thank you very much!"

"You bought it up kiddo."

"Getting off track here people!" Ben said. "We need to have a plan for when that prick comes back. Because, believe me, he will."

"I agree. When someone with a psychopathic personality is focused on something, they're very single minded. They won't let anything get in their way" Henry Jnr said, falling into cop mode.

"So then we do what the original Chris should have done all those years ago. We vanquish him" Wyatt said in hard voice.

He turned to Jessie. "How'd he get here anyway? Did he say?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah he did. He told me he cast a spell after a seer told him that there was nothing he could do to stop his brother from changing the future. Apparently it was destined."

She smiled when the Charmed Ones looked at each other, grinned, and then preformed an act that was usually done by people over half their age. They high-fived.

"Anyway, the spell sent him back in time to the year his brother was working so hard in, and trapped him between dimensions. He couldn't interact with him though, which really pissed him off."

"Sounds familiar" Piper said dryly, just as Phoebe murmured "Cole."

"How'd he hitch a ride if he couldn't interact?" Mark asked. He frowned when Jessie shrugged.

"Maybe… maybe he has the power to make use of other people's gifts" Leo said slowly. "He couldn't interact with Chris, and probably not the Charmed Ones and me either, because he's shares their blood. But Maxwell… well the blood relation between the two of them is so diluted that he was able to absorb his power."

"Isn't that sort of like empathy?" Kat asked and Leo nodded.

"A form of it."

"So he absorbed Maxwell's time travel abilities and hitched his ride" PJ stated. "How is he able to interact with us now?"

"He's in his own time" Maxwell said. "Well, maybe not his exact time, but a hell of a lot closer than 2004 was. He's in the future where he's supposed to be, which I think is why he can now intermingle."

"It also means he's at full strength again" Jessie said in a dull voice. Her mind was jumping back to the cave. She shuddered and grabbed desperately onto Vic's presence when he reached for her.

"_Enough of that, we have a plan to form" _he said, and suddenly the images were pushed back into the dark. Jessie smiled at him gratefully.

"So what are we going to do about it? Are we going to vanquish him?" Parker asked.

"As Luc said, I don't think we have a choice" Penny murmured.

"How?"

~0~

The room was silent as Mark copied Mel asked again that short, simple question. Unfortunately, no one had a short, simple answer. Evil Wyatt was the Evil Twice Blessed. Even their Wyatt couldn't go up against him and win. They would be too evenly matched.

As Jessie looked around the room, she suddenly realised that Aunt Riley, Jack, Lydia and Carter hadn't said a single word. She looked over at her cousins and her mouth twisted when she saw how conflicted the two girls looked, Jack especially. She could see where their thinking was coming from. Evil Wyatt was the spitting image of their father, who they loved and adored. Hearing their own family discuss ways to get rid of him… it must have been off-putting to say the least. She smiled when Vic suddenly got up, went over and sat down beside Jack and put his arm around her.

"_Well done little bro."_

"_Would you stop calling me that?! Jeez, it's only by three minutes!"_

"_You'll always be my little brother Victor"_ she teased, repeating something she'd said many times before. She smirked when Maxwell snorted quietly and her brother scowled.

Aunt Riley seemed to be having a completely different reaction to her children. She looked… determined. Her face was set, her lips folded and the aquamarine eyes she shared with her youngest daughter were as hard as flint. She was holding her husband's hand tightly. Jessie wasn't sure what to make of it.

"_I think she may be determined not to let this other version of her husband mess with her family"_ Vic murmured.

Jessie watched her for a long moment, taking in the way her eyes would drift towards her children and then linger before she shifted closer to Uncle Wyatt, and found herself agreeing. She nodded decisively. Good. Those five will need to be very strong to go up against an insane, evil version of their patriarch and not let it affect them.

"_They have you and the rest of this lot Jessie. They will be fine" _Maxwell said with a smile.

"_I know they will."_

"Okay, so how about we brainstorm ways to vanquish-"

Jessie's father was interrupted by a loud thump. The entire clan spun around to stare in the direction of the sound and Jessie's eyes narrowed when she saw the door to Magic School had suddenly appeared. She opened her mouth to question it when someone on the other side knocked on the door.

"What the…" Henry murmured with a frown. His frown deepened when the person knocked again.

"Vic, wait!" Lindsey called as her son got up and headed for the stairs. "We have no idea who it is!"

"I don't think whoever it is, is evil Mom. In my experience, Evil doesn't knock" he answered patiently. Jessie grinned. He had a point.

He rounded the corner and headed up the stairs. As Jessie was sitting back behind the entrance, she didn't see him open the door or the person on the other side. She did hear his surprised laughter though.

"Oh Jeeesssieee! You have a visssitttor!" he called in a sing-song voice.

Jessie frowned and got up to head towards the foyer. She stopped in surprise when her brother and someone else stepped into the room instead.

"Matt" she stated dumbly. "Ah, hey."

"Hey" her classmate and crush answered with a soft smile. "I just wanted to come see if you were feeling any better." He looked around the very full room and frowned. "Hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"No, no" Jessie assured him quickly. "It's never a bad time."

She flushed when she brother snorted, and glared at the floor. _Lord, way to sound eager Jessie!_ she berated herself. She suddenly thought of something and looked up again.

"Why'd you come here?" she asked. "Why didn't you go to my place instead?"

"I did" Matt said. "There wasn't any answer, and I knew that the Manor is like a second home to you, so I thought I'd try here."

Her eyes widened at the trouble he'd gone to just to see if she was okay. She grinned and watched the soft colour the stained his cheeks in response. She loved making him blush. Matt wasn't an incredibly outgoing person. In fact he could be quite shy with people he didn't know. It had taken her a long time to get him to say more than a few words to her when they'd first met. But she'd persisted and it had paid off.

His shyness was in complete contrast to his looks. Matt Renfew was _hot._ He had short, thick black hair that always seemed to be messy, no matter how hard he tried to tame it, a long, lanky body and a walk that made her shiver whenever she saw him heading in her direction. It was like he prowled instead of walking normally. But it was his eyes that drew her the most. Jessie knew what it was like to have unusual eyes, not that Matt's were that unusual. Just intense and incredibly gorgeous. They were an icy blue/grey and burned whenever he was feeling strong emotion.

Unfortunately, that strong emotion hadn't been turned in her direction yet. For some reason he hadn't made a move, and she knew he wanted to. He'd given off enough unconscious signals to convince her of that. But he seemed to be content in the 'friend zone', and it was beginning to frustrate the hell out of her. Matt was an incredibly nice guy, they got on really well, he had the looks to back it all up, and she was positive he was interested in her. So why were they stuck in a stalemate?

A sudden image of Evil Wyatt's mouth on hers flashed across her mind, and Jessie shuddered and took a step back, feeling dirty. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn't in a relationship at the moment. Matt frowned at her movement and followed her step, concern lighting his eyes. Jessie shuddered again, stepping further away from him.

Maxwell had just gotten up and begun to make his way towards her, and Vic had shot to her side as well, when there was a loud _BOOM._ Jessie gasped as the whole house shook. The only reason she didn't fall to her knees was because Matt reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her up.

"What the hell was that?!" Parker cried, copying everyone else and scrambling to her feet.

_BOOM._

"Jesus Christ, whatever it is, it's powerful!" Kat groaned as Andrew helped her up. Paris shot over to her parents and Kat wrapped her in her arms.

"It's the wards! Someone's trying to get through them!" Piper shouted as Leon let out a terrified cry.

_BOOM._

"It's him!" Wyatt snarled. "Lydia, Jack, Carter, Paris and the mortals, over to the playpen, now! Jack, shield them!"

"I can help!" she cried.

_BOOM._

"You can help my protecting your cousins! Now go!" Wyatt yelled as the house shook violently once more. Jessie instinctively took a hold of Matt, who was still by her side.

Andrew took his daughter out of her mother's arms and ran over to the playpen, Henry, Andrea and Leo right behind him. Leo grabbed Carter on the way, who seemed to have frozen in shock. Lydia shot to her sisters' side, grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the playpen. As soon as they were all there, Jack lifted her hands and a large blue orb shield appeared, completely surrounding the group.

And just in time as well.

With a final _BOOM_, the house flashed white and Jessie instantly knew that the wards had broken. Her reaction from before forgotten, she moved closer to Matt and reached for Vic's hand, feeling Maxwell and her parents come to stand behind her, as black orbs immediately appeared. They cleared to reveal Evil Wyatt and Jessie shook with fear when he lifted his head and smirked at her cruelly.

Her eyes widened as he began to mutter something under his breath. She realized it was spell when all of the people in the room with even a hint of whitelighter blood in them glowed red for a moment. The bound-to-be horrible spells caster smirked again as multiple demons and darklighters shimmered and orbed in to surround them. Evil Wyatt took a step forward and spread his arms wide.

"Oh, honey! I'm home!" he called, his face spreading into a manic grin.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun!**

**Okay, so now on to the shameless plugging portion of this evenings entertainment...**

**New story! New story, new story, new story!**

**New _Charmed_ story! 'Reality Bites!'**

**First chapter up! Go check it out! **

**(Bossy, aren't I? *sticks tongue out side of mouth and winks*)**


	14. Family feud

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer : Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**A/N – To the guest reviewer Kirsty: **

**Your review for chapter eleven – Thank you! It was really hard to condense an entire story into one chapter without giving away too much of the plot and making people read too much of what they'd already read. I'm really glad I did an okay job! (I was also hoping to intrigue new readers enough so they'd go back and read Future Consequences… anyone? *blinks hopefully with puppy dog eyes*)**

**Your review for chapter twelve – Once again, thanks! I didn't want the chapter to be too heavy – fortunately Vic's always helpful at lightening things up! I'm so glad I'm achieving what I set out to do. It can be hit and miss at times lol. I'm also really glad you like the story! Thanks so much for reviewing, and for leaving such detailed reviews. It makes my day!**

**To everyone else – Thank you as well for continuing to stick with this story. I don't think there will be many more chapters (I could be wrong – depends how much more the characters want to speak lol). I really do appreciate seeing how many views the story is getting, and I love all my reviewers! Keep 'em coming folks! Right, that's enough babbling, on this the story!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – Family feud**

"_Oh, honey! I'm home!" he called, his face spreading into a manic grin._

* * *

So many things were flashing through Jessie's mind. Horrible, hideous things. Bright, sparkling burst of blue electricity that looked harmless, but were exactly the opposite, the hollow sound of insane laughter, laying over the high-pitched desperate pleading, and the steady slide of skin turning into melted plastic. But the main thing was the fire. Lively and hot, rusty red and triumphant gold, slowly and painstakingly consuming her. White-hot phantom pain was slowly spreading through her system, making her tremble violently. Her skin was crawling with disgust and fear, and her breathing had accelerated to the point where she was panting. It felt like she was holding on to her sanity by a very thin thread. And all because of the man standing five feet in front of her.

She could feel both Vic and Maxwell trying to cushion the memories, trying to make this at least a little bearable for her, but with the cause of the images being so close to her, they were just too strong. She shivered and shook as she stared vacantly at the evil version of her Uncle. And he wasn't even speaking. All he was doing was standing there, smirking at her.

Taunting her.

Somewhere behind the horrific images and memories, she felt a physical sensation. Someone shifted closer to her. That same someone ran their hand softly down her arm and took her hand, and then stepped in behind her so that she was almost leaning back against them. She just barely felt the person's warm breath flow over her ear, and only just heard them whisper into it.

"Jessie. Whoever he is, don't let him do this to you. Don't let him turn you into someone you're not. Face him. Don't huddle and hide. Fight him! Stand up to him and beat him at his own game!"

_Matt _she thought distantly as his voice somehow penetrated the screaming in her brain. It was Matt whispering in her ear. And he wasn't being gentle. His words were far from it. But, she suddenly realised, they were exactly what she needed to hear.

Why was she letting him get to her this way? Yes, she'd suffered at his hand, and she wanted to kill him for it, but the best way to get back at him was to show that him and what he'd done to her was so insignificant, that they didn't affect her in the least. Wasn't it?

She closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, leaning further back against Matt. He didn't seem to mind. In fact he encouraged it by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Good. Good, good. That's the way. He means nothing to you remember? He is a tiny speck and you can and will trample all over him. You are so much better and more important than him. Compared to you? He is nothing."

_He is nothing_ she thought with just a spark of life. _He is nothing._

"_Less than that sis. He doesn't even exist."_

"_Yeah, kid. He isn't even thought of. He will never be thought of. You are much, much more than he could ever be."_

"_I love you guys" _she whispered as she felt her mind uncurling from the foetal position in had been hiding in. She opened it up and found herself bombarded with happy memories from her brother, full of laughter and light. Good memories that were too powerful for the dark ones. They flowed up and out, blanketing her mind, overwhelming the other images quickly. Shoving them back and leaving her clearheaded and more capable of dealing with the man who had caused them.

She knew that this was only a temporary fix, that those images would raise their ugly heads again, most likely in her nightmares. They probably always would. But for the moment, she could deal. She _would _deal.

She took another deep breath, gripped the hand that was still circling her and squeezed it to say thank you, and opened her eyes. She stared defiantly at the Ruler, putting all the loathing and hate she felt for him in her gaze.

Evil Wyatt's smirk faltered for a second before coming back, and feeling his daughter get a handle of herself, Chris stepped out from behind her and glared at the demon who looked like his brother.

"You aren't welcome here" he said, his tone low and threatening. Evil Wyatt's smirk grew as his gaze switched from Jessie to her father.

"Aww, Chris! I'm hurt! Now is that really the type of thing you should be saying to your brother?"

"You are _not_ my brother."

Evil Wyatt adopted a look of fake puzzlement, his finger coming up to rest against his lip.

"Hmmm. Let's see. You're Christopher Perry Halliwell right? And I'm Wyatt Mathew Halliwell. Same set of parents, same last name. I think that, a brother makes."

"Just because the same blood runs through your veins, doesn't make you family" Leo said quietly from inside the orb shield.

"You stopped being a part of this family the instant you deliberately set out to hurt someone you should have loved" Lindsey continued in a hard voice.

"Hurt? Who have I hurt? Apart from the pretty little slut you have surrounded over there of course."

Maxwell grabbed Vic's arms at the same time Lindsey grabbed Chris's. Both father and son were snarling viciously, struggling against their captors. Jessie felt Matt go still, and she blinked when she felt a low growl rumble through his chest. Whoa. She hadn't even known he _had _a temper!

"Your Mum" Ben blurted out suddenly. He put his hands to his head and groaned while the Charmed Ones looked at him in shock.

"How do you know that?" Piper demanded.

"I don't know" Ben grumbled, his head still in his hands. "It just popped into my head. He killed you, or at least ordered the demons that killed you." He looked up. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Well, well, well. Past Chissy is finally remembering things. This just makes it even more sweet!" Evil Wyatt said with a chuckle. "I really am going to get more bang for my buck!"

"You're not going to get anything!" Wyatt growled, tugging Riley closer into his side. Said witch wasn't even looking at her husband's counterpart. She was steadily glaring at the floor, her face twisted into a look of disgust.

"Oh, I really think I am" Evil Wyatt laughed. "I came here for one thing- _not yet!"_

Jessie jumped slightly and gasped, as he hissed venomously and swung around to throw an energy ball at a demon who had dared to take a step out of line. The demon screamed when it hit him, going up in a tower of flames in an instant. Jessie blanched as she stared at the fire, her violent trembles returning.

Feeling this, Matt drew her back even closer. If they'd been sitting down, she would have been curled up in his lap, against his chest. She took comfort in his touch, as well as Vic's hand on her shoulder, and Maxwell and her parent's hovering presence.

"_Jessie… fire is one of your elements, and we may need it. Are you going to be able to handle it?"_

She froze at her brother's soft question. She hadn't even thought of that! Could she use it? Or had Evil Wyatt traumatised her so badly, she now couldn't use one of her gifts?

_Compared to you? He is nothing._

Her trembles slowed as Matt's words once again flowed through her mind. If the torture had affected her that badly, then she would deal with it. She would practise until it was no longer an issue. She would _not_ let him have a long-term effect on her life!

"_There's the sister I know and love."_

She smiled and tuned back into Evil Wyatt's sick gloating. They needed to know what he was up to, and why he hadn't attacked yet. Because he was guaranteed to at some point. He was just waiting for something. But what?

"Good help is so hard to find these days, don't you think?" the Ruler asked on a sigh as he turned back to his so-called family. "But never mind, I don't really need them anyway."

"They why are they here? Why are _you _here? What happened to you Wyatt?" Piper asked beseeching as she stepped towards the enemy. She ignored the heavily protesting sounds coming from her husband, sisters and children.

"Though I don't know exactly what your childhood was like, I do know that your mother – _me_ – would never have raised you to throw away all good. What happened to make you like this? If we know, maybe we can figure out a way to help you come back!"

"Come back? _Come back? _What makes you think I even want to come back _mother?_ I _like_ who I am! I have nearly everything I need! Why would I give it all up, give up all this power, to go back to being _him?"_ Evil Wyatt spat as he pointed at the good version of himself.

Disappointment swept across Piper's features, and she sighed and stepped back beside Phoebe. The expression was quickly replaced by one of resolution. But Jessie wasn't paying attention to this. She was still stuck back on what the Ruler had said.

_I have nearly everything I need… nearly everything…_

"You want us!" she burst out suddenly, causing all parties to swing round and stare at her. "You want to give us a chance to join you! Just like you did with original Chris!"

"Oh, well done my little niece! Maybe you are more than just a great rack and something to screw!"

Jessie baulked, swallowing hard to keep the contents of her stomach where they should be. Matt growled again, louder this time, almost drowning out the snarls of the rest of the family. She drew in a shaky breath and straightened her spine.

_Compared to you? He is nothing._

_He is nothing._

She laughed and stared at him in scorn. "Didn't you learn anything from him? We would _never _join you! We could _never_ do what you've done! Why are you even trying?!"

"Family" Vic murmured as he calmed down. "He's trying because to him, we're his family."

"Family's the one thing that was always drilled into us" came Laura's angry little mutter. "There's nothing more important than good values and family."

"How could you possibly ask someone you love to do something like that?" Phoebe hissed.

"Love? He doesn't know the meaning of love!" Wyatt scoffed and Jessie cringed as he repeated the words that had set him off last time.

Evil Wyatt's face turned an alarming shade of puce. He bared his teeth in a violent snarl.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE OF LOVE! I'M OFFERING YOU THIS CHANCE BECAUSE OF THE LOYALTY I FEEL! HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY NOT CALL THAT LOVE?"

His eyes bulged and his breathing steamed out of his nose frantically, like an enraged bull just looking for something to charge. His hands shook and the whole house trembled along with them. Then suddenly, just as quickly as it had appeared, the rage was gone. A blank, empty mask replaced it, a whole hell of a lot worse than Lindsey's could ever be, and Jessie shuddered at the madness in his eyes.

"But it has become clear to me that you are turning down my generous offer, as well as Chris's chance to redeem himself. So then we go back to the original plan."

He smiled.

And the smile wasn't pleasant.

"If you're not going to join me, you'll just have to die like the rest" he said simply. He turned to his cohorts.

"Kill them all."

~0~

Everyone reacted at once. Wyatt shouted "places!" and the family members with the most effective active powers moved to stand in front of and around the ones who didn't. It was an effective system. The people with less physical active powers were protected, while still given the chance to kick some demon ass. Jessie felt Vic's hand tighten on her shoulder, and she glanced back to see him looking torn. She grimaced.

"_Go. I'll be fine."_

Her brother held her gaze for a long moment before nodding and moving into his assigned place. Jessie sighed, resigning herself to doing her part alone.

Only to find she wasn't alone. She pulled out of Matt's arms and went to move away from him, but suddenly found herself stopping. He had her by the hand, and by the determined expression on his face, he wasn't letting go.

"I'm with you" he stated firmly. Jessie blinked, not used to this forceful side of him.

"I have to…" she said, gesturing towards her spreading family. Matt nodded.

"Okay. But _we _have to. Where you go, I go."

Jessie blinked again. Well this was different. His eyes were burning.

And she'd thought the calm, sweet side of Matt was hot? That was nothing! This side was… this side was _sizzling._

She was jolted out of her haze of lust when Matt suddenly reached out with his other hand, grabbed her arm and jerked her to the side. Her eyes widened as she watched an energy ball zoom through the air, right where she'd been standing.

"See? You need me" Matt said calmly. "Now where to?"

"Ah… the left flank" Jessie muttered, shaking her head. Now was not the time to be ruled by her hormones! Though she really wouldn't mind seeing this side of him again sometime soon…

"_Head in the game kid!"_

She shook her head again, embarrassment surging through her. They were in the middle of a fight for God's sake!

She took Matt's hand and shot across the room to her assigned place, ducking and diving to avoid energy and fireballs, as well as arrows. The instant she was in position, she lifted a hand and TK'ed a demon away from Laura and Parker, who were standing back to back, Teleporting and Banishing simultaneously.

She glanced to the side and saw Matt throwing Light Darts in every direction, instantly vanquishing any demon they came in contact with. Though he seemed to be absorbed in fighting, she noticed that whenever she moved, so did he. He really was sticking by her side. Warmth swam through her and she TK'ed another demon with renewed energy.

She chanced a glance around to see how the others were doing. On the other side of the room, her brother was sucking a darklighter into the ground before turning and blowing up a demon the demon that Luc was fighting with hand-to-hand. Piper was blowing up groups of demons at once and Paige was beside her, orbing a broom handle into a darklighter. Melinda was on the other side of Luc and was using her Power Replication to the best advantage, throwing fire and energy balls straight back at the demon who threw them. Jessie saw her take a hit that she wasn't quite able to avoid. Tammy was sneaking up behind darklighters and touching them, Petrifying them instantly. Mark was by her side, swinging an axe that he must have conjured, destroying the statues his wife left behind. He swung the axe in front of Tammy, deflecting an energy ball just in time.

Coop and Penny were using there cupid abilities to heart demons out of the Manor, much like Laura and Parker where. Phoebe was levitating and kicking demons in the head, before dropping to the floor and stabbing them with a dagger. Chris and Lindsey were also back to back, Lindsey using all four elements to kill the enemy, while Chris was using his elder bolts, keeping the cupid pair free as much as he could.

Jessie jumped as she heard a roar from her left. She turned just in time to see a tiger take down a darklighter who was aiming his bow at her. She smiled at her Aunt Riley, and if tiger's could smile, her Aunt would be sending one back.

Henry Jnr was with Ben and Maxwell, Maxwell enhancing both Ben's Electrokinesis and Henry's Crushing, making them work a lot more effectively than they would have otherwise. Kat was on her own, surrounded by demons. She was doing her best to get herself out of the corner, not really succeeding very well. The younger witch could tell by her movements that she was getting worried.

Jessie was just about to head over to her, Matt still by her side, when there was a very loud clang and a shower of sparks. Both Wyatt's were in the middle of the room, caught in a sword clash. Jessie recognised Excalibur, and she guessed that the sword Evil Wyatt had was the evil version. Evil Wyatt was smirking while her Uncle had his teeth bared in a grimace of desperation. They came together again and again, neither getting the upper hand.

After causing all the water in a darklighters body to freeze, vanquishing him instantly, Jessie chanced one more glance towards the playpen. And got a jolt. Five demons were throwing energy ball after energy ball at Jack's shield, and Jessie could tell it was taking a toll on the teenager. Having to keep such a strong shield up over so many people was hard enough, but to make sure it stood up against not one, but five enemies as well… Jessie didn't think she could last much longer. Lydia was trying to help her, but there wasn't much she could do. She was lending her all the energy she could, but she was depleting just as fast as her sister was.

The other occupants within the shield were all watching the fighting with anxious expressions. They were calling out to their family, encouraging them, but trying not to distract them at the same time. Though the Halliwells for the most part seemed to be holding their own, they wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. And what happened next only proved that.

A scream cut through the din, and Jessie spun around, only avoiding a fireball because Matt was right behind her and jerked her back, to see Kat on the floor with a darklighter arrow buried in her stomach.

"Kitten!" Andrew shouted, pushing forward to the front of the shield desperately. He tried to get through it, Paris right beside him, but Leo held them back. Laura Banished a final demon and Jessie gasped as she ran to the mother's side, a fireball glancing across her arm along the way. Laura flinched, but still kept heading towards her wounded mother.

Taking all this is, Evil Wyatt laughed, stepped back from his counterpart, spun around and threw a blast of energy so heavy at Jack's shield, that it disintegrated instantly. Everyone except Jack were shoved back onto the ground. She gave a strange little gasp, her eyes rolled back, and then she crumpled.

"I think that's enough fun for one day!" Evil Wyatt said in a chipper voice. "I'll just let you guys clean up the mess, shall I? Let you regroup. And then we can start this all over again. Oh, such joy!"

He laughed his mad, hollow laugh, clapped his hands and with that, all of the enemy were gone.

~0~

Kat screeched as the arrow was removed from her stomach. Jessie flinched and Matt rubbed her arm.

"Mom. Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom."

"It's o-okay Lau. I'll be f-fine. Just n-need a little, ah, ugh… h-healing."

Kat contradicted her statement by rolling over, coughing and spraying the floor with blood. Andrew cursed while Laura moaned. Jessie stepped forward and took her shoulders, Tammy, Henry, Paige and Henry Jnr right behind her.

"Come on Laura, let Uncle Wyatt in-"

"It's not working! Why isn't it working?!"

Chris's desperate cry silenced the room. They all turned round to see what he was going on about and saw him crouching beside Mel, tending to the burn on her shoulder. Or at least trying to. His hands were raised over her wound in a healing position, but nothing was happening.

He couldn't heal.

"…Wyatt?"

The Twice Blessed face twisted into a look of alarm at his brother's whisper. "That spell" he breathed before rushing to Kat's side and holding his hands over her wound.

It didn't work.

He shook his hands and tried again, sweat running down over the cut on his forehead.

Nothing.

Not a single spark of light.

Wyatt looked down at his hands in horror as Chris moved from Mel to Vic, who had a nasty cut on his leg.

"Wyatt? Why isn't it working?" Chris asked frantically as once again his gift deserted him.

"The spell" Wyatt repeated in a whisper. "He put a spell on us. On the people with whitelighter blood. It must have blocked our healing abilities."

He looked down at Kat, who had curled into a ball and had started to shiver.

"We can't heal. We have multiply injuries, one life-threatening, and we can't heal."


	15. Moments

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**A/N – Kirsty: Ha, my thoughts exactly! Evil Wyatt **_**is**_** sick and twisted, and a right, royal bastard lol. Thanks so much for your comments and here's the next chapter, as requested! :-P**

**Chapter Fourteen – Moments**

"_We can't heal. We have multiply injuries, one life-threatening, and we can't heal."_

* * *

Laura stared at her Uncle in shock. He couldn't have just said that, could he? He couldn't have just said that he couldn't heal, that no one could, when her mother was lying on the floor, dying slowly as the darklighter poison crept its way through her system. She shook her head frantically, her arm flaring with pain at the movement.

"No. No, no, no. You have to heal her. You have to!"

Uncle Wyatt looked at her with an agonized expression. This just made Laura angry.

"Don't look at me that way! Try! Try again! You _have_ to heal her! She's dying!"

"Laura… please… c-calm down…"

Kat coughed again and moaned softly as her body shook. Laura's head whipped back round to her.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, don't worry about me. Just concentrate on beating this" she said.

"I-I'm quarter w-whightlighter honey. If W-Wyatt can't h-heal…"

Laura shook her head again, her soft hazel eyes desperate.

"No. No! Shut up! Don't talk like that! Don't you _dare_ talk like that!"

"Laura McKenzie Murphy! Don't you talk to your mother that way!"

Laura looked up at her father in disbelief. Her mother, his _wife_ was laying there dying, and he was telling her off for _the tone she was using? _

She felt ice flow through her veins. "Excuse me for actually trying to make sure my mother doesn't give up and accept what that monster did to her."

Behind her, Jessie flinched. She was one of only a few who knew that when Laura got angry, she didn't just get angry. She got _cold._ So cold that she could freeze anyone with a single look. And you did not want to be on the receiving end of one of those looks.

Kat groaned again as she too recognized the set of her daughter's shoulders. It took a lot to get Laura to this stage, but once she was there, it took equally as much to get her back to her usual self again. She reached for her husband's hand and squeezed it. She'd known Andrew most of her life, and she knew how he reacted to situations he couldn't control. Laura didn't, as she'd never really seen a situation her father couldn't control. Andrew was just coping by trying to be as normal as possible.

Laura looked away from her father, her glacial gaze once again focusing on Wyatt, who looked taken aback by the look in her eyes. She stared at him steadily.

"Why can't you heal her?"

"Laura, I tired. The spell he put on us is blocking my healing abilities. Everyone's healing abilities." he answered wearily, and both Leo and Lindsey flinched as this conversation bought back bad memories. They'd had a similar one, many years ago, that neither had forgotten.

"Try again."

Wyatt blanched at her icy little whisper, before his face twisted into a desperate expression.

"It won't work! Do you think I like sitting here, knowing that a member of my family is dying, and not being able to do anything about it?! Do you think I'm doing this deliberately?!"

Laura opened her mouth to answer, her common sense buried under the turmoil surging through her, when she felt a pair of hands take her by the shoulder and turn her around. She stared at Maxwell with arctic eyes, and Maxwell's own eyes widened at her frozen expression.

"Laura, stop. You're making this harder for everyone."

"She's dying" Laura whispered, not realizing until this moment, exactly how much she loved her mother. They were so different. They had next to nothing in common and the two of them were not really that close. Laura was much closer with her father, or at least she had been.

"At the moment, yes she is. But that doesn't mean she will. Wyatt and Chris may not be able to heal, but they aren't the only resource we have available."

He reached up and brushed back her reddish-gold hair, marvelling at how soft and silky it felt against his fingers. At this point, he seemed to have forgotten that everything he did was being watched.

"And your Mom isn't giving up love. She's just being realistic. She's trying to prepare you for what _might_ happened. Hear that? _Might. _Not will, not while we still have other options to explore."

Laura searched his bottle green eyes, and under the ice, her heart was just beginning to pound. He was touching her! Maxwell Rothman, a great witch, a great _man _was touching her! Touching _her!_

Very slowly, the warmth of the hand that had come to settle on the side of her neck and his beautiful, kind eyes broke through her ice. She blinked, took a deep breath and visibly sagged, leaning against him. Maxwell looked surprised for a second before his arms came around her, hugging her tightly. She stayed lying against him for a long moment before, suddenly realizing what she was doing, she stiffened and pulled back, her face flushed a soft pink.

"Sorry" she mumbled, quickly turning away from him and missing his elated look. Everyone else saw it though, Andrew especially.

He narrowed his eyes at the man – and he was definitely a man, _not_ a boy – who dared to touch his teenage daughter. Maxwell caught his look and turned away guiltily.

Laura missed all this as well and, feeling guilty at the way she had spoken to both her parents, she went over to her father and took his hand.

"Sorry" she mumbled again, her tone contrite. Her father smiled at her gently and squeezed the hand holding his.

"It's okay honey, I'm as worried as you are" he whispered, his eyes on his shivering wife. As Laura watched him, she realized that he wasn't just worried.

He was terrified.

He was just hiding it better then she was. She frowned. Maybe she was more like her mother then she thought she was.

She looked down suddenly as her other hand was grasped, and her eyebrows shot up when she saw it was Paris who was gripping her hand so tightly. The young girl actually looked like she was exactly that. A young, scared, little girl, who was trying to find comfort in her older sister. Even though her grip was tight, it was still a little tentative, as if she wasn't sure if Laura would accept her. She should have known the Laura would never turn her away. Even though most of the time Paris acted like a spoiled, bratty little princess, she was still Laura's little sister, and Laura would always be there for her, no matter what.

She let go of Paris's hand and put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder, pulling her up against her. Paris froze or a moment before she turned and buried her face into Laura's side, her shoulders trembling. She was whispering something repeatedly, and Laura's breath left her sharply when she realized what it was.

"Please don't let her die, please don't let her die, please don't her die…"

~0~

"Okay, so we can't heal. Then the first thing we need to do is stop the bleeding" Leo said as he made his way over to Kat.

He took a detour over to the stairs and pulled a fully stocked first-aid kit out of the closet under them, before crouching down beside the severely wounded witch. He and the rest of the party in the shield had gotten to their feet quick enough after the blast. All except Jack that is. She was still lying unconscious on the floor, her head in her sister's lap. Lydia was looking exhausted as well, but at least she was awake, unlike Jack, who didn't look like she was going to be waking up any time soon.

Laura blinked as a tiger walked over to the two young witches, nudging Jack with its nose and making desperate little huffing noises. It settled down into a protective crouch, curling itself up around the two girls. She realised it was her Aunt Riley when Lydia laid her head against its shoulder and Carter scrambled over, wrapped his arms around its middle and buried his face into its hair, in much the same way Paris was still doing with Laura.

She frowned as she watched this. Why hadn't her Aunt changed back? Why was she still in tiger form?

Her brows rose in understanding when Wyatt walked over, taking his shirt off in the process. When Riley changed, her clothes didn't change with her.

Riley looked up when Wyatt's shadow landed on her, and Laura swore she saw a look of gratitude in the tigers eyes. She grasped the shirt gently between her teeth, got up, nudged Carter towards his father and nuzzled Jack one last time before trotting out of the room. A couple of minutes later, a very human Riley came back in, wearing her husband's shirt.

"What's wrong with her?! Is she okay?!" she asked urgently as she dropped back down beside her daughters once more. Wyatt looked anxious as he hugged his son to him.

"I don't know. She's never had that much thrown at her shield before. Hell, even I've never had that much thrown at my shield before! I'm hoping it's just exhaustion, but we won't know until she wakes up."

Riley moaned gently, her trembling fingers brushing over Jack's face. Wyatt reached over and took her hand, drawing it up to kiss the knuckles softly.

"She'll be okay Ri. She's strong, just like you." He sighed. "I just don't know how he could do that. To his own daught-"

"She's not his! She's yours!" Riley hissed as her eyes shot to his. "She'll never be his! Don't ever think that!"

Wyatt folded his lips and looked away from her, but his wife was not going to let him get away with that. She got up and moved around until she was kneeling in front of him. She took his face in her hands and searched his eyes. She sighed.

"Oh, Wyatt, you have to stop this. You cannot continue to blame yourself. You are not him. You did not do what happened here tonight. You did not hurt your daughter or your niece, nor is it your fault that you can't heal Kat. That was him, Wyatt, not you. That was him, and only him."

Wyatt stared into her pleading eyes for a long time. He seemed to be looking for something. Laura didn't know what it was, but Riley seemed to. Her eyes lit with understanding, and she smiled and leaned forward to gently brush her lips over his.

"I could never love him the way I love you darlin'. I could never love him at all. You, you're everythin', while him… he isn't even part of our world."

She leaned back and looked into his eyes again, her smile becoming a cheeky grin.

"Or at least he won't be once this is all fixed up and you go kick his nasty ass."

Wyatt let out a small burst of surprised laughter before he leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.

"God, I love you."

"Well that's a good thing darlin', because I sure love you right back. Now how about we figure out how we're going to wake our youngest daughter hmmm?"

"I think she's okay at the moment. If she doesn't wake up in half an hour or so, then you can start worrying" Leo said from Kats side. He didn't look up from working on her. Laura watched him anxiously, panic swirling through her again when Kat moaned and he swore under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Paige asked urgently. She was holding Henry tightly, Tammy and Henry Jnr right beside their parents.

"I having trouble stopping the bleeding" Leo said in a too calm voice. "And I can't leave this to look at everyone else."

"I can help" Laura said suddenly, looking at Leo when he glanced at her. "I went on that advanced first-aiding camp, remember?"

She looked around the room, assessing the injuries, before looking back at her Great Uncle.

"I can deal with what's here. It's nothing more than wrapping burns and stitching."

"Can you handle the stitching?" Leo asked.

Laura nodded. "We had a couple of choices, and sutures were one of the options." She sent him a wry smile. "I thought it would be good to learn, considering how many injuries this family gets."

She looked at him beseechingly when he continued to look dubious. "I swear I can do this Uncle. Mom's the worst, so you concentrate on her, and I'll take care of the others. I promise if there's something I can't handle, I'll call you."

Leo looked at her for a moment before he slowly nodded. "Okay Laura, if you think you can handle what's here, then by all means, do your thing" he said.

Laura smiled, turned to Paris to peel her from her side and hand her to her father, who pulled her into his lap. She then took what she needed from the kit next to her Uncle. She paused and looked down when her mother said her name.

"I'm p-proud of y-you sweetheart."

A large smile burst across Laura's face at her mother's strained words. Even though she'd always known Kat loved her, she didn't think she'd ever given her a reason to say that before. Warmth flooded her and she grinned widely.

Behind her, Maxwell sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes were alight, making her whole face glow. The dying light was streaming through the window, highlighting her hair. She was exquisite. And as clichéd as it was, at the moment she looked like an angel. It was moments like this that made it really easy for him to forget that she was quite a lot younger than him. And it didn't help when she did something like she was doing now that belayed her physical age. He sighed. Why did he have to fall for her? Why couldn't life ever be easy?

~0~

As Laura attended the other members of the family, ignoring her own injury to wrap Mel, Parker and Mark's burns, stitch and wrap Vic's leg and Wyatt's forehead, and tend to the cuts and grazes covering Luc's face and arms, as well as the deep scratch on Phoebe's neck, Leo continued to work on Kat. He seemed to be getting more and more worried as time went by. Nothing he was doing was slowing the bleeding, and Laura could tell by his face that this wasn't good.

He grimaced suddenly as a thought occurred to him, and he sat back, still pressing the bandage against the hole in Kat's stomach. He sighed and looked up.

"It's not working. The bleeding isn't stopping" he said.

"What does that mean?" Andrew asked frantically. Leo looked at him.

"It means that if it continues the way it is, the poison won't kill her, because she'll bleed out before it has a chance" he answered quietly. Andrew's face twisted with fear.

"There isn't anything you can do?" Tammy asked from Mark's arms, tears in her voice.

"There is one thing. It's archaic and very old fashioned, but it worked well during the war when there wasn't any other option."

"What?! No! You can't!" Laura gasped. She spun round to stare at her Uncle in disbelief. "That's barbaric!"

"It's the only way Laura! The bleeding is so sever at the moment, that it would bleed straight through any stitches I put in! I need to stop the bleeding, otherwise she'll die!"

"Wanna tell us what this argument is about sugar?" Riley calmly asked Leo. Laura answered her instead.

"He's going to burn her!"

"WHAT?!" Andrew shouted, making Kat jump and moan. Jessie froze before she shuddered and turned into Matt.

"Yes, technically I am, but I know what I'm doing!" Leo exclaimed with a glare at Laura. "I need to cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding Andrew. If I don't, she won't last another hour."

"Cauterize the wound as in burn her flesh?" Andrew hissed, and then groaned when Leo nodded hesitantly.

"It's the only way."

Laura was horrified. Yes, they still used the practise in medical treatment nowadays, but only very rarely, and they did it in sterile conditions with instruments specifically designed for the task! They didn't do it the way Leo was intending to have to now!

She made a distressed little noise in the back of her throat. Phoebe, whose neck she'd been attending at the time, rubbed her back in comfort. Leo sighed.

"Laura, do you trust me?"

For a long moment, Laura wasn't sure how she was going to answer that question. She quickly snapped out of it when she searched his eyes and saw how her hesitation was hurting him. She nodded slowly.

"So then you should know that I wouldn't do this unless I had absolutely no choice. The bleeding just won't stop. It's do this or sit here and watch her bleed to death."

His face softened when a stricken expression filled her eyes at his words. He held out his hand to her and pulled her down beside him when she got up and took it.

Trusting that she could handle what he was about to do, he pulled back the bandage briefly and showed her the wound.

"See? I won't have to go deep, and usually the bleeding would have stopped already, or at least slowed down with a wound this size, but there must have been something on the arrow or in the poison that's preventing it from clotting. I just need to get round the edges and seal the vessels. It won't take long and she'll have a numbing potion first, so she won't feel a thing."

Laura shook her head. "But… infection. It could make it worse!"

"She's already got darklighter poison running through her system Lau. A little infection isn't going to have that much more of an effect" Chris said quietly.

Laura looked at Leo for a long moment before her shoulders slumped. "You'll do it quickly and cleanly?"

Leo smiled. "Of course."

"Well, do it then."

Leo looked over at Andrew, who looked pretty dismayed himself.

"With your permission?"

Laura watched as her father swung from one side of the scale to the other. His expression was twisted with indecision. It was clear that he had no clue what to do.

"…A-Andrew?"

Both Laura and her father looked down at Kat, who was blinking up at them blearily. Her skin was a sickly greenish-white colour, her whole body was trembling and her forehead was slicked with sweat.

"D-do it."

"Kat, are you sure?"

Kat nodded as best she could. "Y-yes. I w-want to be a-around for as l-long a-as possible. S-stopping the b-bleeding w-will let me h-have more t-time w-with you."

Andrew groaned. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against her cheek before gently kissing her.

"I love you kitten."

"L-love you more."

Andrew sighed and sat back before nodding at Leo, who breathed his own sigh of relief and looked at Wyatt.

"Can you call down a numbing potion?" he asked, but Paige had one in her hand before Wyatt could even answer to the affirmative. She handed it to him silently.

Leo turned away from her desperate, begging eyes and poured the light blue potion over Kat's wound. It flared for a second before Kat let out a small, relieved sigh, her body relaxing slightly. Laura frowned.

"Don't see why we didn't do that earlier" she muttered before looking sat Leo again. "What are you going to use?"

Leo frowned. "I think a couple of bread-and-butter knives would work best" he said. Paige once again held up her hand, silently mumbled something and two knives appeared on her palm. She handed them to Leo, who looked at Lindsey.

"They need to be heated. If you would?" he asked holding them out to her.

Lindsey got up and began making her way over to him. She stopped suddenly and her eyes narrowed in thought.

"No" she said.

"What?! What do you mean, no?" Henry Jnr burst out. Lindsey grimaced.

"I mean it shouldn't be me doing it. It should be Jessie" she said, turning towards her daughter.

The girl jolted at the sound of her name. "What?"

Her mother changed directions and crouched down in front of her daughter. Jessie stared at her in confusion.

"You didn't use your fire during the battle, did you?"

Laura blinked when her best friend looked surprised before a guilty expression replaced crossed her features. She looked away and shook her head. Lindsey sighed as her suspicions were confirmed.

"So you need to use it now then. You need to be the one who heats the knives."

Jessie looked back at her. "I-I don't know if I can" she whispered, and Laura saw Matt pull her more tightly against him.

She didn't know Jessie's crush very well, as he, the twins, Lydia and Jack all went to Magic School, while she attended a normal high school, but his actions were making him very likable. She resolved to thank him later for being there for Jessie. He didn't need to be, he could have taken off the minute the battle started, but he hadn't. He'd stuck around and helped and Laura was very grateful for that.

"Yes you can Jessie" Lindsey said firmly, squeezing her daughter's hand. "This is your fire, not his. You control it. It can't hurt you or anyone else unless you let it. It does what you want it to. Take control of it and make it do what it's told."

"Make it your bitch sis" Vic said cheerfully and Laura smiled when Jessie let out a watery laugh. She quickly sobered and looked at her mother hesitantly.

"It won't hurt me?" she asked in a very small voice. Lindsey's face twisted and she swiftly shook her head, her eyes wet.

"No, my darling, it won't. It's part of who you are. It won't burn you or leave you in pain, I promise."

Jessie stilled looked apprehensive. Laura couldn't imagine being scared of your own gift, but then again, hers was a lot more passive then Jessie's were. It didn't look like she was going to have the courage to do what she needed to do, so Laura did something she knew Jessie wouldn't be able to resist.

She played on her best friend's hero complex.

She hated having to do it, and she would have never even considered it in any other circumstances, but Jessie needed to get over her fear, for her own good, as well as Kat's. Laura got up and headed over to her, crouching down in front of her as well.

"Please, Jessie. Please help my Mom. She needs this. Please."

Jessie sent her a look that told Laura she knew exactly what she was up to, but her mouth twisted before firming anyway. She looked down into her mother's eyes.

"Help me?" she asked a little timidly. Lindsey smiled.

"Always" she answered. She held up her hand, palm up, and a small flame appeared on it.

"Use my fire to start your own. It won't hurt you either" Lindsey said softly.

Jessie swallowed hard, her eyes on the flame on her mother's hand. She was trembling slightly, and her hand was shaking as she pulled away from Matt and slowly reached towards Lindsey.

Her mother's fire flared a little brighter and gently jumped from her hand to Jessie's. Jessie jolted as it hit her palm, and she made a small, desperate, almost choking sound. The fire danced across her palm, never hurting her, before it spread itself out and began to stream and flow around and across her wrist.

Jessie's eyes didn't leave it for a second. Slowly, _very_ slowly, her trembling calmed before it ceased altogether. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and another flame appeared in her palm, identical to Lindsey's. The two separate fires twirled around each other for a moment before the original one resumed a flame shape again and gently sunk into the young witch's skin, leaving only Jessie's fire, sitting calmly in the palm of her hand, waiting to be used.


	16. Groundwork

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N – Okay, after this chapter, there will be one more and then the epilogue. Thanks for the follows, favourites and reviews guys. And Kirsty: Yup, comeuppance coming soon! Now, with that out of the way, on with the story!**

**Chapter Fifteen – Groundwork**

_The two separate fires twirled around each other before the original one resumed a flame shape again and gently sunk into the young witch's skin, leaving only Jessie's fire, sitting calmly in the palm of her hand, waiting to be used._

* * *

Jessie stared at the harmless little flame her was cupping in her hand. She swallowed as she looked into its depths. This innocent looking element had caused her a lot of pain, both physical and emotional, and up until a second or so ago, she couldn't have imagined herself wanting to have anything to do with it ever again.

Now, it was just sitting there, not hurting her at all. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling the heat sitting in her palm. As the gentle warmth flowed through her skin and swam into her bloodstream, Jessie swore she felt something crack open inside of her. Something that Evil Wyatt had caused her to lock away.

"Jessie? Darling, are you alright?"

As her mother's concerned voice filled the room, Jessie laughed, her eyes snapping open, and the flame in her hand roared to life, swallowing her wrist and zooming up her arm, over her shoulder and down her body until she was bathed, top to toe, in fire.

"Jesus!" Matt shouted as he sprang to his feet and stumbled backwards. Maxwell, Andrea and Ben gasped, Vic, Melinda and Riley grinned and almost everyone else either shook their heads of rolled their eyes. Even Paige and Tammy managed weak smiles. Most of them had seen Jessie do something like this before, and they knew that she only really did it when either she wanted to show off, or she just wanted to wallow in her gift.

"Jessie, what are you doing?" Lindsey asked patiently. Jessie smiled at her.

"Being me again" she said simply before turning to Matt, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"It won't hurt you" she told him with a happy grin. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply again, her lungs contracting and expanding. It felt like she hadn't been able to take a deep breath in a very long time. "It won't hurt anyone unless I tell it to. Not even me."

"A warning would have been nice" Matt grumbled. Jessie opened her eyes and threw him an apologetic look.

"Sorry" she said quietly. "I'll put it out if you want me to."

"No" Matt said slowly as he carefully approached her again. "No, don't do that. It really won't hurt me? It won't burn?"

Jessie shook her head and held out her hand, the fire still engulfing it. Matt's eyes widened and he took a step away again.

"Trust me" Jessie whispered. "It's mine and I would never hurt you."

The wary look in Matt's eyes faded and he slowly walked towards her, reaching out his hand. His fingers trembled slightly as he carefully placed them in hers. The fire retreated as he did, before it swarmed to cover his fingers as well.

Matt jolted and then stared down at their joined hands in wonder.

"It's warm" he whispered. Jessie laughed and Matt looked up at her, a grin spreading across his face.

"That's… that's just… wow. Really wow."

"You think?" Jessie asked with an answering grin, and Matt nodded slowly, his eyes locking onto hers.

"Yeah. It's amazing. Just like you" he murmured, his grin falling away to be replaced by an intense look and made Jessie's breath hitch in her throat.

She blinked when a gagging sound rang through her mind.

"_Jeez sis, mind my vomit reflex, would you?" _Vic laughed and Jessie sent him a vile look.

"_While I'm happy for you kid, we need to get Kat sorted so we can start preparing for his return"_ Maxwell murmured in her mind. Jessie sighed, knowing he was right.

She drew the fire back so that it flowed from the hand that was still holding Matts, up over her and settled into a flame in her other hand again. She grinned as it did what she told it to, looking down at her mother again, who was grinning as well.

"See? It's in you and part of you. It is you. Though maybe next time you don't show exactly how much you, you have. You don't want to scare anyone away" Lindsey said with a teasing smile and a subtle nod at the boy next to her. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Well, I always knew I was hot" she said seriously, ignoring the last part of her sentence before more laughter bubbled out of her. The room chuckled as Vic groaned in her head. Jessie smiled widely as Matt's hand tightened on hers. She felt free. No longer ruled by fear of a man and what he'd done to her. He still terrified her, and probably always would, but his hold had loosened enough that she felt like she could breathe again, as if the use of her fire had unblocked a path inside her mind that had been keeping her prisoner. She wasn't healed, far from it, but it was a start.

She got up, reluctantly letting go of Matt's hand in the process, walked over to Leo and held out her flame-filled palm. Leo smiled at her and gently placed the tip of the knives into the flame. The fire flared brighter for a second before it settled, and Jessie adjusted its strength and heat so that it didn't make the knives too hot. She also stopped the heat from travelling past the metal and down onto the handles. She didn't want her Grandfather getting hurt.

A short time later, Leo pulled the knives from her flame and Jessie regretfully extinguished it. She sat down beside Laura as Leo removed the bandage on Kat's stomach and laid the knives over it. A hissing sound filled the room, as well as a rather unpleasant smell, but Kat didn't make a sound, so the potion must have worked. Leo moved the knives around a couple of times before he sat back, relief flowing from him.

"There. It won't stop the poison, but at least she won't bleed out" he said.

"How exactly are we going to stop the poison?" Tammy asked quietly. "She can't get mortal help, as they won't have a clue what to do."

"Not to mention all the questions that'll be asked" Parker muttered.

"Is there a spell for healing?" Luc questioned. His face fell when witches in the room shook their head.

"Maybe not here" Matt said suddenly, flushing when all attention focused on him. "Umm, I don't know if one exists, and the Book of Shadows is great and everything, but it isn't the only magical source available…"

"Magic School!" Paige exclaimed as her face lit with hope. "Maybe we can find a healing spell there!"

"Or a spell that will reverse the one put on us" Wyatt said thoughtfully. "That won't be in the Book either. Plus we also need prepare for his return."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tammy demanded, jumping to her feet.

"Wait. Someone needs to stay here with Kat" Leo said.

"Do you really think I'd go anywhere?" Andrew said softly, his eyes on his shaking wife. "I'm not leaving her."

"Me either" Paris said in a tiny voice.

Jessie felt a jerk like movement beside her and she looked over at Laura, who was watching Kat as well. She looked incredibly torn.

"Hey-" Jessie started to say, stopping when she put her hand on the upper part of her cousin's shoulder. Laura jumped and hissed in pain and Jessie's eyes narrowed.

"Your hurt" she said, suddenly remembering the way Laura had ran towards her injured mother during the battle, catching a fireball in the arm in the process.

"What?!" Maxwell said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Why didn't you say something?!"

"It's nothing" Laura muttered, staring at her hands.

"Bloody hell it's nothing!" Maxwell growled and both Jessie and Laura stared at him in amazement. Ben's eyes widened and a very thoughtful expression passed across his face.

"You need to get it seen to" Maxwell continued forcefully. "You shouldn't have hid it in the first place!"

"I didn't hide it!" Laura cried and then blushed when Maxwell folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I did, but everyone else needed to be tended to first."

Kat chuckled softly, the end of the sound turning into a groan as the numbing potion began to wear off. Jessie looked over to see her watching her daughter with an amused expression, through half-closed eyes.

"You a-are so like y-your f-father" she mumbled. "A-always putting others f-first."

"You make that sound like a bad thing" Andrew teased gently.

"N-no not bad" Kat said, and whatever else she was going to say was lost in a violent shuddered that shook her whole body. It was almost as if she was seizing.

Laura moaned, her trembling hands coming up to cover her mouth. Jessie put her arms around her as Leo crouched down beside her and began to tend her shoulder.

"You should stay here as well" Jessie whispered. That torn look once again appeared on Laura's face.

"I want to help" she whispered in return.

"You can, by looking after Aunt Kat. That way Gramps can come and look. I guarantee he'll know what's in that library better than anyone else."

"But…"

"We'll keep you updated Lau" Jessie told her softly. "I'll come back here myself every ten minutes if it makes you feel better."

"That'll slow down the search" Laura fretted.

"_Open a connection with her."_

Jessie glanced at Maxwell in surprise. His eyes were on Laura, and they looked just a little desperate. He met her eyes when he felt her gaze.

"_Open a connection with her like you did with Jack. That way she can know what's going on whenever she wants to without leaving her mother's side."_

Jessie pursed her lips. It was a good idea. Why hadn't she thought of it?

"_Why don't you do it?" _she asked him curiously.

"_She won't accept it from me, but she will from you."_

"_Oh, come on, the girl's gaga over him! How does he not realize that?" _Vic scoffed quietly to Jessie alone. Or it was supposed to be to just her. By the slightly pleased look on Maxwell's face, it looked like it hadn't been as isolated as he'd hoped.

"_Oh, we really need to work on that"_ Vic said snidely. _"This needs to be a lot more private then it is. It would be nice to just be able to talk to my sister, my family, without any unwelcome eavesdroppers sticking their noses in."_

"_Victor!" _Jessie gasped as her head whipped round to stare at him in shock. What a horrible thing to say! Vic shrugged in answer, but Jessie noticed the trickle of guilt he was adamantly ignoring. He regretted saying that, but it didn't look like he was going to take it back or apologize. It didn't make sense. Why would he say it in the first place?

"_Don't worry about it kid. It means nothing to me" _Maxwell said quietly, and Jessie immediately recognized this as a lie. What Vic had said had hurt him, and her brother scowled at the floor as he felt that as well.

"_Just make the connection Jessie, so we can get this show on the road." _

"_You and I are so going to talk later" _she warned Vic before she turned to Laura and made the suggestion. She could not believe he had said that. Vic usually didn't have a cruel bone in his body. In fact, he was usually the one telling her to rein it in. Jessie got frustrated with the outrageous stupidity people displayed at times, but Vic just went with the flow. What he'd said to Maxwell was completely out of character.

Putting it to the back of her mind for the moment, she concentrated on the connection Laura was very enthused about. She'd warned her that it would probably be painful, but Laura hadn't cared. As long as she knew what was going on at all times, she was happy.

~0~

After a brief discussion, the group spilt up, Melinda, Phoebe, Lindsey, PJ, Parker, Mark and Ben heading to the attic to prepare for Evil Wyatt's return, while Jessie, Vic, Chris, Wyatt, Maxwell, Piper, Leo, Luc, Penny and Coop all headed to Magic School to try and find a way to reverse the spell. Paige, Tammy, Henry and Henry Jnr were staying with Kat, and Riley was staying as well, Lydia beside her, as Jack still hadn't woken up. Andrea had been sent home, protesting all the way. Parker had finally gotten her to leave by saying that someone had to look after Leon, Paris and Carter, the latter two having massive temper tantrums to try to stop their parents sending them away. It hadn't worked and they'd left a little quieter when Tammy promised she'd come and get them both the instant their hurt family members needed them.

It had taken Riley quite a while to convince Wyatt to leave his unconscious daughter. He, along with everyone else, was getting more and more worried about her as time went on. She was showing no signs of waking up, and in fact, the longer she lay there, the whiter she became. She was very deeply down for the count, almost comatose, and nothing anyone did brought her out of it. The only way Riley had gotten her husband to leave was by telling him that the quicker they found a way to reverse the spell, the quicker he could come back and heal his daughter. Wyatt had accepted this, but he hadn't looked happy.

Now, he stormed over to the door to Magic School, which had survived the battle intact, his group trailing along behind him. Jessie was following everyone when someone pulled her to a stop. She turned around to find Matt looking at her.

"Where do you want me?" he asked and Jessie blinked.

"You don't have to come. You've done enough already. This isn't your fight, so why don't you go home?" she suggested, blinking when Matt stilled, his eyes widened and he scowled fiercely.

"Like hell I'm going home!" he said angrily. "Do you really think I would leave you to deal with this on your own? This _is_ my fight! Those demons attacked me as well!"

"Only because you came over to see me!" Jessie hissed, her own anger rising. "And I won't be alone; my family will be with me! You shouldn't be here! You don't _need_ to be here!"

Matt made a choking sound in the back of his throat, stepped right up into her face and grabbed her by the upper arms. She briefly found it surprising that she wasn't pulling away from him in fear before his burning eyes distracted her.

"Don't need to be here? _Don't need to be here?_ The girl I like and admire gets attacked and terrorised by an insane, evil dictator and then tells me I _don't need to be here?_"

Jessie's mouth fell open, but before she had a chance to question his surprising statement, Matt growled – he _growled! _– jerked her up against him and swiftly covered her mouth with his.

Jessie froze as he kissed her roughly, his hands letting go of her arms for one to settle on her neck, the other coming to rest on her hip. His grip tightened and he angrily moved his mouth over hers, nipping at her bottom lip, before just as suddenly as the kiss began, he let her go. Jessie stumbled back slightly and stared up at him in shock, her fingers rising to rest against her mouth.

"Listen carefully Jessica. I am not going anywhere, no matter what you say. You're stuck with me, so you better get used to it. Now, tell me where you want me, or I'll make the decision myself. No, wait, I'll make the decision anyway. I'm with you!" he snapped before turning around and up the stairs towards the door.

"_Well, well, well! The boy finally grew some balls! This is fantastic! Way to go Matt!" _Vic crowed as he laughed in her head. Jessie ignored him and stared after Matt's retreating back in wonder. Holy shit. Where had that come from?

"_Some situations bring out the best in people kid. Seems like this one has in him, which I'm pleased about. I would have kicked his arse if he'd done what you told him to do and went home" _Maxwell murmured.

"_Hey! She's my sister! If any ass kicking is going to happen, it'll be me doing it, not you!"_

"_Wow"_ Laura murmured as Max looked at Vic in surprise and then nodded his head in acknowledgement, _"that was some kiss."_

"_You can say that again" _Jessie answered, turning to grin at her cousin, who jumped at the voice in her head and then grinned as well.

"_That was some kiss"_ Laura repeated and Jessie rolled her eyes. _"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on! Follow him!"_

Jessie grinned again, turned and headed up the stairs, following the boy who had just kissed the living daylights out of her, Maxwell and Vic right behind her. She thanked God that they were the last ones to go through the door. She didn't even want to think about how her father would have reacted if he had seen that.

~0~

Two hours later found a very frustrated group of Halliwells with nothing to show for their time. The Magic School Library was vast, yet they hadn't found a single thing. They'd recruited as many students and teachers as they could, but eventually they'd all had to go back to class. So the group kept searching, getting more and more desperate the longer they looked.

"I cannot believe that in all this time, no one has created a healing spell!" Penny exclaimed.

"It's not as easy as it sounds Penny" Piper answered as she reached for another book. "Healing is a very complicated thing to pull off. It would take incredibly strong magical ability to write a spell that works. Many have tried, but going by the lack here, none have succeeded."

"But you're the Charmed Ones" Penny pointed out. "If anyone can create a healing spell, you can!"

"We're part of the number who have tried" Piper said quietly. "The best thing we can do now is continue looking for a way to reverse Wyatt's spell."

"That would be a lot easier to do if we knew what the spell was that he used in the first place" Chris muttered, flicking through a book. He looked up in question when Maxwell chuckled.

"I was just imagining how many witches have said that over the years." He grinned. "And how many mishaps that could have been avoided if they'd only known the original spell."

"A large number I'm guessing" Chris answered and the two men, father and son, grinned at each other.

Jessie smiled as well, glad they were getting along. The smile fell from her face as she felt the horrible black emotion coming from her brother. She spun round to stare at him in shock.

"_Victor! What's wrong?!"_

Her twin looked away from Chris and Maxwell, his mind closing down, and for the first time in his life, Victor Halliwell shut his sister out of his head.

Jessie's eyes widened and her heart froze in her chest. What was this? What was he doing? And why did she suddenly feel so panicked?

"_Vic? Vic, please! VICTOR!"_

"Jessie? What's wrong?" Maxwell asked, making everyone look up from what they were doing. Jessie shook her head, her eyes on Vic, who was steadily ignoring her.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine" she whispered. She turned away to continue looking, and Maxwell looked between the brother and sister before he frowned and turned back to his book as well. Jessie swallowed hard. She'd had no idea, in the many times she'd closed her brother out over the years, that it would hurt this much. She knew that she could break down his shields if she wanted, just like Vic had known when she'd shut him out to stop him living the cave with her, but she found she didn't want to. If he didn't want to share, then she wasn't going to force him. He could stew for all eternity for all she cared.

She put her book down and snappily reached for another one, noticing out the corner of her eye that both her father and Matt were watching her. She could tell her father was concerned at the obvious tension between his children, but he was leaving it for the moment. Matt, on the other hand… she couldn't read his expression. It seemed she'd really insulted him when she'd told him to leave. He hadn't said a word to her since he'd kissed her, and Jessie had no idea what to say to him. She wasn't used to an angry Matt, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he regretted kissing her. Finding that she didn't really want to know if she was right or not, she was just leaving him be for the moment, hoping they could sort it out later.

"You know, this isn't the only School we can check. I can go check Newcastle" Maxwell suggested suddenly.

"That is a good idea" Luc said with a smile.

"Newcastle?" Jessie questioned.

"Newcastle School of the Magical Arts" Maxwell said. "It's where both my parents and I went. In fact" he said slowly, his eyes lighting as he seemed to remember something, "it may just have what we need!"

"It has something we don't?" Wyatt asked in a surprised tone. Maxwell nodded eagerly.

"I has a book that contains a spell that can reverse almost any spell in existence" he said, his voice high with excitement. Leo whistled.

"Whoa, how do they still have that? The Elders took it!" he said.

"They gave it back when the board promised never to let it out of their sight" Maxwell explained.

"So if they won't let it out of their sight, how are you supposed to get it?" Piper asked with a raised eyebrow.

Maxwell shrugged. "Steal it" he said.

Vic snorted and grinned, the grin turning into a scowl when Maxwell returned the expression. Piper clucked her tongue and frowned, as both Chris and Wyatt looked thoughtful.

"If it's the only way…" Wyatt said.

"What?! We can't steal a magical item!" Piper cried and her husband frowned.

"So it would be okay if it wasn't magical?" Vic muttered and Jessie smiled before she remembered she was ignoring him.

"It may be our only option, Mom" Chris said.

Piper opened her mouth to argue when Jessie gasped loudly and clutched her head as pain exploded in it. Her legs gave out and she fell to the floor, the pain becoming an extremely loud, extremely terrified voice.

"_NO! JESSIE! PLEASE, PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO COME BACK! HE'S BACK; YOU ALL HAVE TO COME BACK!"_

Jessie moaned as Laura's voice faded, turning over and blinking up into her father's alarmed eyes.

"Jessie? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Chris asked in a worried voice.

"It was Laura" she croaked as Chris and Maxwell helped her to her feet. "We have to go. He's back."

* * *

**The credit for the Magic School idea goes to countryfan4life. Thanks! :-D**


	17. The final countdown

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N - Okay, this chapter ran far too long, so I split it up. Meaning there may be two more chapters, depending on whether I can join the end of this chapter and the epilogue together. And I'm sorry this and the last few chapters have taken longer to get out then usual. Work is kicking my ass at the moment, and all I want to do when I get home is sleep. Plus there's Reality Bites lol. But I promise the next chapter of H&S will be out by the end of the week. :D Right, enough from me, on with the story!**

**Chapter Sixteen – The final countdown**

"_It was Laura" she croaked as Chris and Maxwell helped her to her feet. "We have to go. He's back."_

* * *

Chris swore violently and Jessie couldn't help agreeing with him. He was back and they hadn't found a thing! She rubbed her forehead to try and get rid of the headache Laura's shouting, fear and desperation had left behind. It didn't work. She blinked and smiled at her father when he ran his hand over her hair, soothing her. Chris turned to Maxwell.

"Can you guarantee that that spell will work?" he demanded. Maxwell frowned.

"Of course I can't guarantee it, but it's our best shot!"

"So go get it then, and get back to the Manor as fast as possible. Go!"

Maxwell's frown deepened at the order, but he did as he was told. He met Jessie's eye for a brief second and the girl could read the worry in them. She shook her head.

"_Go. We'll be fine."_

"_You better be kid, or I won't be happy. You and Vic and, ah, well…"_

"_Yeah, yeah, I know who 'ah, well' is" _she said as she grinned at him. _"She'll be fine as well. I'll make sure of it."_

Max sighed in relief. _"Thanks Jessie."_

"_Whatever, you great sentimental sap, you. Now go!"_

Maxwell grinned and with a vibration and ripple of air, he was gone. Chris nodded once he had, turning towards the others.

"We have to get back and the easiest way is to orb. Everyone take a hand."

Jessie held out her hands, as did Chris, Wyatt and Vic. Piper and Leo each took one of Chris's and Wyatt's hands while Luc took Wyatt's other one. Coop and Penny hearted away on their own, which just left Matt. Jessie met his eyes for a moment, her heart falling when he looked away, walked over to Vic and put his hand on her brother's shoulder.

So he did regret kissing her. Well at least now she knew.

She swallowed hard against the pain of that thought and orbed along with everyone else.

~0~

The house wasn't a war zone like she'd expected it to be, but what she did see when the orb cloud cleared, froze Jessie in her tracks. They were surrounded. The whole family was there, and every one of them had a demon or warlock poised to attack, standing right behind them. But it wasn't this that filled her with fear. Evil Wyatt stood in the middle of the room, Jack hanging in the air, near the ceiling above him.

She was just dangling there. Limp and lifeless, her head rolling around on her neck, looking very much like a rag doll. Her skin was chalk white and she looked like she'd dropped about half her body weight. She was stick thin.

Jessie had once visited a friends Grandfather in hospital, a man who was only being kept alive by the machines that beeped next to him. He'd given off an aura of a body just waiting to die. An empty shell, nothing left inside to give it life.

That was the aura she sensed from Jack now.

She heard her Uncle gasp as he looked where everyone else was looking and saw his daughter. She also felt his anger. Evil Wyatt was doing this somehow. And if she knew her Uncle, which she did, she knew that he was preparing himself for a major battle. The other him wasn't going to get away with hurting Wyatt's daughter.

"Well, hey there, the whole family's back! Or nearly. I notice that the three little brats and the dyke are gone. Now why'd you go and do that? That's just means more work for me now!"

Parker, Tammy, Mark and Andrew all scowled, while Riley moaned, her eyes on Jack as a shudder running through her body. Lydia was beside her, but she wasn't staring at her sister. Her eyes were going between Evil Wyatt and Jack repeatedly.

Jessie found herself copying her. Jack was hanging there, almost lifeless, while Evil Wyatt was completely the opposite. In fact, he was shining with health and mirth. A lot more than he had before. She narrowed her eyes. _What the hell?_

"He's draining her!" Lydia suddenly blurted out. "He's stealing her essence, her energy, and feeding his own!"

"HE'S WHAT?!" Wyatt roared, flinging himself towards his counterpart. Evil Wyatt raised his hand and the eldest Halliwell son went flying back into the stairs, hitting with a loud crash and smacking his head with a horribly sickening thump.

"Wyatt!" both Piper and Riley screamed. Neither of them attempted to go to the fallen Twice Blessed, as they both knew what would happen if they even tried.

"Oh, don't worry; I'm sure he'll be fine! Well, maybe not him, but you will be. As long as you don't mind having to take care of a vegetable for the rest of your life!" Evil Wyatt laughed.

"Why are you doing this?!" Chris growled as he looked up from his crouch beside his brother, his eyes flicking from his wife, who was on the other side of the foyer, standing in the entrance to the living room, to his two children, who were closer and easier to protect. Lindsey was looking back at him desperately, her eyes searching the room occasionally. It was obvious she was looking for someone.

_Maxwell, _Jessie thought. She was looking for her son. Her other son. Jessie looked over towards Laura, who was standing in front of her very sick mother, her eyes searching the room as well, as were Bens, who was over by the front door.

_Stop making it so obvious!_ Jessie hissed in her mind. Laura looked up, startled, having heard the thought, but no one else reacted, not even Vic. She grimaced. She hated not being able to get a point across when she needed to!

"Why am I doing this?" Evil Wyatt said, surprise in his tone. "Why, Chrissy, it's because I can! You and your little family have caused me so much grief; I'm just getting my own back!"

"We haven't done anything to you!" Parker snapped.

"Oh, you've done everything to me cousin! All you need to do is exist and it fucks me up!" Evil Wyatt snarled.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Tammy spat as she rose from beside her sister. "We don't have any effect on you at all! Put her down and leave us alone!"

Evil Wyatt looked at her thoughtfully before a wide, crazy, repulsive grin spread across him face.

"Okay."

He gestured towards the floating Jack, who suddenly stopped floating and plunged towards the floor.

"No! Jack!" Riley screamed, surging forward, only to stop when their enemy turned and snarled at her. Jack fell swiftly, her hair flying like a halo above her, and hit the floor hard.

The sound of her leg snapping could be heard all throughout the room.

"No. Oh God, no. Please, Jack no" Riley sobbed, crawling as close to her daughter as Evil Wyatt would allow, which wasn't very close. Lydia put her hand on her shoulder to stop her endangering herself, tears pouring silently down her cheeks.

The evil Twice Blessed laughed at the shape-shifter as she struggled to reach her daughter, before his amusement suddenly transformed into an irritated frown.

"Oh, shut up! She's nearly dead anyway, so she's no use to me anymore! Stop with all the blubbering!" he snapped.

"How can you do this?!" Piper cried, making Wyatt spin towards her. "How can you treat us, treat anyone this way?! In another timeline, we're your family!"

"FAMILY IS WHAT MADE ME WHO I AM!" Evil Wyatt roared. He stopped and took a couple of shallow breathes, trying to calm himself down, before smirking cruelly at the eldest Charmed One.

"And what sort of family is this anyway _mother?_ How can you be family with all this dark, harrowing emotion swirling around everywhere?"

Jessie frowned. What was he talking about? Evil Wyatt's smirk grew when Henry Jnr said her thought out loud. He turned and raised his eyebrow at Vic, who scowled back at him in confusion.

"How you feeling there champ? Not all that good I'm guessing! First your sister gets to spend a little time in my charming company, which believe me, I really enjoyed" he said with a gloating look in Jessie's direction.

The girl blanched but stood her ground, meeting his gaze steadily. She would not allow him to see how much of an effect he still had over her. She noticed a slight shift in movement out the corner of her eye, her mind taking in the fact that Matt had moved closer to her, before she re-focused on their enemy.

"And then" Evil Wyatt continued jauntily, "your long lost older brother shows up out of nowhere, stealing the spotlight and birthing resentment and bitterness. I bet there's nothing you'd like to do more right now then push him back into the oblivion, am I right there slugger?"

Vic's mouth fell open before a guilty expression appeared in his eyes, and he looked down with a frown. Jessie stared at him in disbelief, noticing that both her parents were doing the same thing. Was that his problem? Was that the reason he'd shut her out? She'd thought they'd sorted this!

"Where is the Pom anyway? Did he sneak off and leave you all alone to defend yourselves?" the man continued as he looked around. Jessie's eyes widened. They had to distract him!

"How do you know this?" Phoebe asked with narrowed eyes, and Jessie breathed a sigh of relief as the question successfully diverted their enemy. "That's the sort of thing only an Empath knows…"

She gasped and stared at him in shock. "You're an Empath!"

"Ding, ding! And the prize goes to the wimpy, most useless Charmed One! The crowd goes wild!" Evil Wyatt cried with a grand hand gesture towards Phoebe. The older witch scowled and took a step forward, stopping when PJ pulled her back.

"That's why you're like this" Lydia said quietly. She flinched when the alternate version of her father looked at her, but pulled her shoulders back and stood her ground.

"You let the emotions of others overwhelm you, and it drove you insane."

"Insane? Oh, I'm not insane darling daughter" Evil Wyatt said with a bewildered smirk. Riley growled at his words, but didn't attempt to move any closer. Jessie frowned, wondering why, until she noticed Melinda slowly inching her way towards Jack while Evil Wyatt's back was turned. She quickly looked away, not wanting to alert him.

"I'm just doing what my wonderful father told me to do. I'm using all of my power and not letting others get the best of me. He trained me to do this, so this is what I'm doing."

"Your father was an Elder! He would never have trained you to take over the world!" Piper growled, moving closer to her husband and taking his hand.

"Hmm, yes, you're right, not to take over the world per se, but his expectations and emotions were high, as were everyone else's. I'm just fulfilling them" Evil Wyatt said thoughtfully with a nonchalant shrug.

"My expectations made you the way you are?" Leo asked very softly. His original timeline son went to answer, but Phoebe bet him to it.

"Not that Leo. Unfortunately, they would have helped, but with him being as powerful as he is, and being an Empath as well, well he would have felt twice, ten times, maybe even one hundred times as much as a normal Empath. That's the real reason he is the way he is. Gideon started it off, but the feelings of others were what finished it. He just couldn't handle it, and what you see before you now is the result."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!" the off-his-rocker Ruler bellowed as he shot round to glare daggers at Phoebe. Everyone jumped and Melinda froze halfway into her crouch beside Jack, keeping her head down to make herself as small as possible.

"I'M IN THE ROOM! I OWN THE ROOM! YOU WILL SHOW ME THE RESPECT AND FEAR THAT I DESERVE, OR YOU WILL DIE!"

As his shout petered out, Mel laid her hand on Jack's arm and looked over her shoulder at Paige, who was in a similar crouch beside Kat. She nodded at her Aunt and as one; the two witches orbed their hurt family members out of the room. Jessie's eyebrows shot up. She hadn't even noticed her Aunt and Great Aunt devising a plan.

Evil Wyatt's mouth fell open and he gasped in shock as the Halliwell family continued to defy him. His eyes lit up with a mad rage unlike anything Jessie had ever seen before.

"Well then, it looks like you'll all just have to die anyway" he stated coldly and raised his hand.

"GET DOWN!" Chris shouted as a wave of pure energy surged from Evil Wyatt's hand and swept the room. Everyone listened at once and hit the deck, springing back up the instant the wave evaporated. And then all hell broke loose.

~0~

The demons and warlocks in the room didn't have to be told to attack. Wyatt's first shot seemed to be a silent signal, and they all went after a target at once. Jessie froze as surges of light and heat filled the air, accompanied by cries of desperation and pain from both sides. She'd never been in a fight like this before. Even the battle earlier that day hadn't been this insane.

She abruptly found herself pitched forward as someone pushed her out of the way of an oncoming energy ball. She turned round to meet her brother's annoyed and scared gaze.

"What the hell are you doing? Don't just stand there! That's a good way to get yourself killed! Move!" Vic growled.

Jessie took a deep breath and nodded. If she wanted to live past this battle, she had to snap out of it. She could have a breakdown later, when the danger was over.

She spun on the spot and threw a blast of fire at the warlock that was attacking Luc, before TK-ing a demon who was sneaking up behind PJ. Both witches nodded their thanks before turning back to the battle. Vic blew up a demon, his back to Coop who was defending himself as effectively as a Cupid could. Leo and Henry were dodging their way over to Andrew, the only people in the room who couldn't fight back. They each grabbed an arm once he got to his side, pulling him as far away from the fight as possible. Mark and Tammy soon joined them, standing in front of them to try and keep them from harm.

Chris was standing over his still unconscious brother. His Elder Bolts were flying everywhere, hitting as many demons as possible. Ben fought his way over to him and began to help, his Electrokinesis working in much the same way Chris's Bolts were. If Jessie hadn't been so busy, she would have marvelled at how similar the past and present Chris were in powers.

Riley was tearing through demon after demon, getting hit over and over again but ignoring it, as the panther tried to get to the man who had hurt both her husband and daughter. She wasn't having any success. There were too many enemies and even if there hadn't been, Evil Wyatt was standing in the middle of the battle, surrounded by a black orb shield, just waiting for his opportunity. He was laughing as he watched the Halliwells fight for their lives.

The Charmed Ones were back to back, defending each other and taking out as many evil beings as they could. Jessie saw Phoebe get hit and drop to the floor, but she couldn't do anything about it. She was fighting her own battle, TK-ing and using both of her elements at a rapid pace.

Lindsey was trying to make her way over to her husband and children, but she kept having to stop to vanquish the enemy. She gave up when she saw how overloaded Laura was, making her way to her side to help the younger witch. Laura smiled at her in relief when her Aunt scorched the demon she was trying to Banish.

Jessie didn't know where Matt was, but going by the Light Darts that were zooming around the room, she knew he was putting up a good fight. She stepped back to throw an icicle into a demons chest and bumped into someone. Noticing the long white-blond hair out the corner of her eye, she realized it was Lydia. The younger girl was absorbing energy left, right and centre, instantly vanquishing the demons she took from.

Melinda, Henry Jnr and Parker were back to back as well. Melinda kept glancing around the room for Luc, and Parker had to jerk her back to stop her being hit with a fireball. She grimaced, but from then on kept her head in the game.

Through all this, Evil Wyatt just stood and watched, gloating from inside his shield. Jessie found her anger building at his exulting expression. They had to get to him!

Suddenly the air vibrated and Maxwell appeared out of nowhere, a large book in his arms. His eyes widened at the chaos, quickly having to duck to avoid a fireball. He searched the room, his eyes lingering on Ben and Chris, Jessie, Vic and then finally Lindsey and Laura. Finding Jessie the closest, he fought his way over to her.

"This book won't be any help if there's no one left to reverse his spell!" he shouted in her ear as he obliterated a demon with a shot of energy. Jessie threw a demon through a window and chanced a glance at him.

"There's nothing we can do about that spell at the moment anyway" she shouted back. She spun around at a shriek of pain and saw Penny on the ground, her shoulder bleeding. She swore violently and was about to blast the warlock that was standing in front of Penny, ready to take a kill shot, but her Grandmother got there first. She blew the demon up and crouched down beside her niece, her eyes terrified. Jessie noticed movement coming her way and swung round to boil the blood of the warlock heading towards her.

"We have to do something!" she screamed. "We have to get to him!"

"How?" Maxwell demanded, deflecting an energy ball, dropping the book in the process. Jessie looked at him helplessly.

Suddenly there was a loud screeching sound followed by a roar of fury. Everyone froze to stare in horror at Evil Wyatt, who was throwing as much energy as he could at his shield, to try and prevent his counterpart from breaking through. Jessie's Uncle had woken up without her noticing and he was standing right in front of the shield, slowly but surely pushing his hands through it. The screeching sound came from the shield, as if Wyatt's hands were a piece of metal rubbing against another piece.

"NO! YOU _WON'T!_" Evil Wyatt screamed, amping up his energy. Wyatt bared his teeth and pushed harder, blood once again flowing steadily down his forehead.

He pushed and pushed, jolting when Lydia shot over and fed him some of the energy she had stolen. Evil Wyatt roared again, panic piercing through the cry. Unexpectedly, Jessie's Uncle smiled.

"Yes. I will."

With a sharp cry, he plunged forward, breaking through the orb shield and clamping down on Evil Wyatt's arm. He grinned triumphantly, swaying on the spot, before throwing a look over his shoulder.

"I hope someone's come up with a plan, because this is as far as I've gotten, and I don't know how long I can hold him" he called through gritted teeth. The remaining demons and warlocks took in the situation, watching Evil Wyatt struggling in his hold, his face twisting as he tried to orb but finding he couldn't. Wyatt was preventing him from fleeing, so they did it for him, leaving him alone to face the Halliwells.

Wyatt's face fell when everyone looked at each other but no one answered him. Jessie swallowed and stared in hatred at the man who had tortured her. He was right there, no longer protected. She took a couple of slow steps towards him as the events in the cave began to dominate her mind.

"_Jessie, don't think about that. Not now."_

Maxwell's voice was a whisper in her mind, very easily ignored. She narrowed her eyes at the evil man, her thoughts turning to retribution.

She wanted him to hurt.

Badly.

Just like he'd hurt her.

There was a side to telepathy neither Vic nor she had ever thought of exploring. She snarled as she used that side on Evil Wyatt now.

The Evil Twice Blessed screamed in agony as Jessie used her telepathy to fill him to the brim with white-hot, skin-crawling, body-shaking pain. She smiled as her gift brought him to his knees. She pushed even more onto him, making his voice run horse as he shrieked.

"Jessie! No! Stop! You don't want to do this!"

"Oh, darling, please don't let him do this to you!"

"_Jessie, stop! Come on kid, stop!"_

She ignored them all. She bared her teeth and pushed with her mind once again, making Evil Wyatt's body arch of the floor as she bombarded him with skin-piercing agony. He had to pay! He had to feel what he'd made her feel!

She distantly registered Ben sinking to the floor with his head in his hands, Maxwell shooting to his side.

"Please, please, Jessie, stop!"

She only fed him more in response.

She didn't even consider stopping until a sigh echoed through her mind, making her blink.

_"As much as I'm enjoying this sis, I really think you should stop now."_

Vic's presence slowly swathed her mind, pushing away the bad memories, and Jessie gasped, abruptly cutting off the pain to spin round and stare at her twin. Vic was standing there, watching her with a raised brow.

"_Vic! Victor! Vic, Vic, Vic! You let me in! You let me in!" _she cried in exuberance.

"_It seems I have. Your little display there didn't really give me much of a choice. We don't do that Jessie. You know that. Though I'll admit, it was rather pleasing to watch."_

"_He deserved it!" _Jessie snarled.

"_Yip, he did, but you don't deserve the guilt you'll feel later for abusing your gift. You're too good to use revenge this way sister dear. Don't let him make you forget who you are." _

Jessie sighed and turned back to the man who was currently curled up in a ball on the floor. She scowled as she stared at him before looking at Vic again.

"Fine. But you better have another way to deal with him!" she snapped and Vic grinned lazily while Chris and Lindsey sunk back in relief.

"I do actually. I say we vanquish him."

"Oh, great idea Vic!" Jessie sneered sarcastically. "Yes! Let's do that!"

"Okay. But we need to weaken him first" Vic said and then laughed when his sister growled. "We can't vanquish him at the moment because he's just too strong."

"I'll drain him then" Lydia suggested softly. A loud animalistic snarl of denial followed her suggestion as Riley made her opinion known.

"Honey, you can't. It'll be too much. It'll overwhelm you" Wyatt said worriedly. He was still holding onto his counterpart.

"Not if you filter it through Vic, Jessie and me" Maxwell said suddenly. "If we share it, we can buffer each other and it won't get too much."

"Ah, no, I don't think so" Vic said, shaking his head. "I'm not letting you in my head."

"Victor, he's your brother" Lindsey whispered and Vic scoffed.

"No, he really isn't."

Maxwell sagged at the young witches words. Jessie frowned, not understanding where her brother was coming from. Why was he acting like this?

"_He is too our brother Vic."_

"_No, he's not! He's not related to us! He's not blood!"_

"_What does blood have to do with it Victor? He's our family and you'll have to get used to that!"_

"_No, I won't!" _he shouted and Jessie suddenly saw two very distinct images in her head. The first one was her mother sitting in her father's lap while her father stated that Ben and Maxwell were always welcome, his eyes on Maxwell as he said it. The second was Max and Chris grinning at each other at Magic School. She frowned.

"_You're jealous of Maxwell because of Dad?" _she asked and noticed the way Maxwell's head shot back round at the question.

"_Leave it alone sis" _Vic answered sullenly. Her frown deepened.

"_No, I won't. Why are you jealous of Maxwell and Dad getting along? There are, or used to be, father and son."_

"_I'm his son!"_ Vic snapped and then closed his eyes when Jessie's mouth fell open. _"Please let this be Jessica."_

"_She might, but I can't"_ Maxwell said, using Jessie's connection to push his way into Vic's head. _"I'm not here to take your father away from you Vic."_

"_Then why can't you just leave him alone?! He's my Dad, not yours! I don't have that close a relationship with him as it is, but then you come along and make it worse!"_

"_What? Victor, what are you talking about? Of course you have a close relationship with him!"_

Vic sighed, his eyes open again, showing despair very clearly. _"No, Jessie, I don't. He's a little distant with me. Not all the time, but sometimes. And I don't know why."_

"_Then I think you should talk to him. But please know I'm not here to take him from you kid. I have a dad already remember, and one is more than enough, believe me."_

Vic stared at Maxwell for a lengthy moment, searching his mind for the truth. He breathed out in relief when he found what he was looking for, before he smiled slightly, if not a little embarrassingly.

"Well then. Okay. Right. So let's do this thing."

"Anyone else feel like something important just went down and we missed the whole thing?" Melinda asked the room at random.


	18. To take

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N - Kirsty: Thanks! Read on and find out lol, and thanks for the review! Everyone: Just the epilogue to go after this guys!**

**Chapter Seventeen – To take**

_"Anyone else feel like something important went down and we missed the whole thing?" Melinda asked the room at random._

* * *

Lydia crouched down beside Evil Wyatt, who for some reason was still curled in the foetal position, completely out of it. Jessie didn't think she'd hurt him that badly. Or not nearly badly enough maybe. But then again, she'd slept for two days after her ordeal. That type of agony completely saps your strength. She knew that first hand.

Riley was right behind her daughter, wearing Leo's shirt, her hand seemingly fused to Lydia's shoulder. She didn't agree with this plan, but it was the only thing they could think of. She was ready to pull Lydia away the instant the girl even seemed like it may be becoming too much, and Lydia wasn't pushing her away. Jessie could almost taste the nervousness pumping off the younger witch.

Everyone else had crowded around, surrounding Lydia, Jessie, Vic and Maxwell. The only ones who weren't were Leo and Laura, who were both up in the attic, checking on Kat and Jack, and Ben, who was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands again. Maxwell kept glancing over at him, worry written all over his face. He relaxed slightly when Piper walked over, sat down beside Ben and put her hand on his shoulder. Wyatt was still next to his counterpart, watching his daughter in concern as well.

Lydia smiled gently at her father before taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, one trembling hand reaching out to rest on Evil Wyatt's leg, the other one taking Jessie's hand. The older girl jolted as the most twisted, unnatural energy she'd ever felt was suddenly pumped into her. She blanched, her stomach roiling in disgust as it poured through her.

"_Jesus, this stuff is rank!" _Vic spat. Maxwell groaned in agreement.

As Evil Wyatt's essence continued to flow through the four, Lydia's head shot back and her eyelids flickered as her eyes rolled back in her head. The dark energy surged incessantly, filling their fingers and toes, making their hair stand on end and all but blackening out Jessie's heart until she felt like she was choking on the disgusting stuff. She gagged and shuddered as it went from her, to Vic, to Maxwell, and back again.

Over and over. It just didn't stop.

It was thick, black and oily, and it seemed to coat her insides until it was everything and everywhere. She moaned, her breath gurgling in her throat and her own eyes rolling back.

"_Bloody Hell…" _Maxwell rasped, his mental voice weak and shaky.

It just kept coming. On and on and on. Jessie's knees sagged until Lydia and Vic's hands were the only thing holding her up. It felt like she was falling into a deep, dark pit, with no way of getting out. A voice reached her ears, a tinny, distant little voice that faded in and out of focus, and came from very, very far away.

"…Stop! We have …stop! …killing them! …horrible! Oh God! …Maxwell!"

Maxwell jolted at the voice, but neither he nor the twins could find the strength to answer. They were slowly but surely losing themselves, as Evil Wyatt's essence glugged and crept and overflowed them, until it began to become them, pushing them down and blotting them out.

"…Lydia! Lydia, stop! Why won't… let go! Baby, please! …have to break contact! Wyatt, do… thing!"

"No! …If she breaks… now, it'll destroy all… Laura, you're… to Jessie aren't… Help me!"

"How?! I don't… what to do!"

Jessie frowned in bemusement at this fragmented conversation until the energy pushed aside her confusion and tried to bury her once more. She sighed and felt herself drift, wondering why she was even putting up a fight. It was so _heavy!_ She just wanted to give way. Escape that tiny bit of hurt that was still gnawing away at the back of her mind.

"… surround them. Let them know… here. Laura… in their heads. Now!"

Jessie frowned again, just finding it in herself to be irritated. There was a buzzing in her head. A buzzing that was getting louder and louder, forming words that weren't fragmented, and seemed to come from outside her mind as well as inside it.

"Jessie, Jessie, please fight. Push it away! Push it back! Don't let it overwhelm you darling! You're in control, not him!"

"Jessie, how am I supposed to teach you the secret to my lasagne if you're not around to learn it? Fight honey, please!"

"_Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, Jessie, don't give up. You're my best friend! I love you! Please, oh God, please! God damn it Jessica, you else is going to help me sort this thing out with Maxwell? Oh God, Maxwell! Oh, oh, this hurts!"_

"Jessica. Jessie. Fight. Push it back. You're stronger than him. You're stronger than it. I know you are. I believe in you."

_Mom… Gran. Laura… Matt… Matt._

Suddenly a shot of light split through the darkness, reaching down into the pit, looking very much like a hand. Jessie squinted up at it dazedly. What?

"_Sis… need you. Help… too heavy… push!"_

_Victor!_

Jessie clawed at the blackness, pushing it away and to the side, swimming back up through it until she reached the hand and grasped it firmly. The instant she touched it, another one appeared and she took that as well. Together the two hands pulled her upward, further and further until abruptly her eyes burst open and she sucked in a large lungful of air. Her eyes swept the room wildly, coming to a stop on Maxwell and Vic, who both looked haggard and pale, but very much awake and aware. She smiled weakly at them, the energy still flowing, but now pushed down until it was but a trickle that they had no trouble handling.

Vic grinned back at her, the grin transforming into a look of shock when he was suddenly jerked backwards into his father's arms. Chris surrounded his son, careful not to break the contact he still had with Jessie and Max, but still clasping him to his chest and resting his forehead against the back of his head. He shook just a little as he hugged Vic tightly.

He didn't say anything, just held his son, and Vic met his sister's eyes with wonder and happiness lighting his face. Jessie grinned tiredly, feeling arms around her as well and knowing instinctively that they belonged to her mother. Maxwell was leaning back against Ben, whose hand was squeezing his shoulder tightly, and Lydia was in Riley's lap, her eyes closed as her mother stroked her hair.

_Family, _Jessie thought. She glanced at Evil Wyatt, who was lying on the floor, now shrunken and twitching. He was the image of Wyatt, but he wasn't her Uncle. Blood didn't necessarily mean family. She looked over at Max. But family didn't have to be blood either.

~0~

"Okay, want to tell the rest of us what just happened there?" Mel asked quietly. She was holding on to Luc's hand for dear life. Her husband seemed to be in the same frame of mind, going by the number of times he would touch her, as if to continually reassure himself that she was okay.

"It was too much. Too overpowering. I thought we could all handle it together, but his madness is snarled in with who he is so tightly, it corrupted his entire being. Meaning that his essence was very dark and incredibly heavy and it was just taking over everything. I've never felt anything like that before, no do I ever want to again. It was horrible. Disturbing. He's completely diseased and totally unsaveable."

Lydia didn't open her eyes as she spoke. She continued to lie with her head on Riley's chest, leaning into the hand still stroking her hair. Her explanation shut everyone up for a few minutes before Penny frowned.

"Should you really still be connected to him then? Doesn't sound very healthy."

"Penny's right sweetheart, you can probably stop. You've taken enough, he's not going to be any trouble now" Wyatt said, looking at his daughter. Lydia finally opened her eyes and met his gentle gaze before nodding and uncurling her stiff fingers, letting go of Evil Wyatt and Jessie.

The older girl sighed in relief as the constant trickle of unnatural energy came to a halt. She stretched out her fingers, moving in Lindsey's arms and rolling her shoulders back, shaking off the last of the nauseating stuff. Her head swung round when she shoulder met someone else's chest, and her eyes widened when she saw Matt quickly moving back out of her way. He didn't look at her, deliberately looking over at the two Wyatt's. Jessie turned away and scowled.

"_Do I need to have a little talk with Matty, sister dear?" _Vic whispered in her head, his voice still weak. Jessie grimaced and shook her head.

"_No. Just leave it be please."_

"_Oh please, do let me! He's acting like a major dick and hurting you. He deserves a talking too!"_

"_He's not the only one who's hurt me recently Vicky!"_ Jessie snapped and then instantly regretted it. She had no right to say that, considering how many times she'd shut him out. She sighed as Vic scowled.

"_Sorry" _she mumbled, guilt swirling through her. She looked up in surprise when her brother's laughter filled her mind.

"_Don't blow a gasket over it Jessie. I'm just more open than you are and I didn't give you any warning."_

She scowled. _"Don't do it again" _she ordered abruptly and Vic chuckled.

"_Can you promise the same thing sis?"_

Jessie's scowl deepened and she looked away, annoyed at the laughter that swarmed through her mind. No, she couldn't promise that, so she really couldn't insist that he did something she couldn't. She sighed. It wasn't fair.

"_Life isn't meant to be fair kid. It would be boring if it was"_ Maxwell murmured and Jessie stuck her tongue out at him, making Vic laugh even more. Maxwell chuckled as well and Jessie folded her arms and huffed. She looked round when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Jessica, you're not doing what I've told you many times not to do, are you?" Lindsey asked with a raised brow. Jessie looked away from the disapproval in her mother's eyes.

"Umm… no?" she muttered guiltily.

"I didn't think so" Lindsey said in a satisfied tone, one that held just a little amusement as well, which her daughter didn't pick up on.

She let her daughter go and stood up, walking over to Wyatt, Riley, Lydia, Piper and Leo and funnily enough, Ben, who were all surrounding Wyatt's very much reduced counterpart. Jessie reluctantly followed her, Vic and their father right behind her.

Evil Wyatt was a shadow of his former self. He looked very much like Jack had when she was hanging in the air, all sallow skin and protruding bones. He'd somehow managed to turn onto his back, and his eyes were closed, his lips were making involuntary movements, as if he was trying to say something but couldn't get it out. Jessie shuddered, her thoughts turning to her cousin. This didn't look like something someone could easily come back from.

She glanced over at Maxwell to see how he was going. Her brows lifted in surprise when she saw him still on the floor, Laura sitting very closely next to him. They weren't acknowledging each other, in fact Laura's head was slumped in exhaustion, but her pinky finger was overlapping Maxwell's, brushing over it occasionally. Jessie swallowed and looked away, finding the scene to be surprising intimate, though she didn't know why. They were barely touching.

"What do we do now?" PJ murmured, coming up behind Jessie, along with everyone else.

"We make the decision about whether we're going to vanquish him or-"

Jessie gasped as her Uncles words were cut off when Evil Wyatt's eyes sprung open, locking onto her. His body jerked like he was trying to move, his lips twisting. She took a step back, stopping when his dull blue eyes flashed with something she could only describe as desperation.

"…Nooooo…"

The word escaped his lips as a raspy, horse, high-pitched hiss. His fingers had a made a rapid movement, almost a gesture, and he repeated it when Jessie looked at him with wide eyes.

"…Pleassssse…"

He repeated the hand gesture again and Jessie suddenly realized that he was asking her to come closer. She stared at him in shock, meeting his urgent eyes.

"…Pleassssse…"

She took a step forward. His hand jerked, his eyes begged, and she took another one.

"Jessie, what are you doing?!"

She ignored her father's barked question and took another step closer.

"Jessie, stop!"

"…Pleassssse…"

She took another step and suddenly found herself crouched down beside him. Evil Wyatt's tortured eyes followed her as she leaned in closer, her gaze locked on his. His eyes closed as he breathed a shallow puff of relief when she did what he was asking, before opening and re-meeting her gaze almost earnestly.

His tongue came out to wet his lips and Jessie suppressed a shudder at the movement. She leaned closer, ignoring the grasping hands and desperate voices that were telling her to get back. Evil Wyatt's mouth opened and closed, trying to speak full sentences. Her eyes widened when he managed it.

"…Killlll meeee…"

She shot back and stared down at him in shock. Had he just said what she thought he'd said?

"You want to die?" she whispered.

Evil Wyatt's head made a barely noticeable shift forward, his eyes begging once more. Jessie drew in a shaky breath.

"Why?"

The different version of her Uncle closed his eyes again and tried to take a deep breath. He licked his lips once more and Jessie leaned back in as he forced more words out.

"…Sorrrrry… Pleeasssse. Don'ttt dessserve…"

Jessie blinked in astonishment. It was like he was normal. A completely non-insane human being, who was feeling immense guilt over the things he had done. She stared at him in confusion, looking back over her shoulder when she felt Vic gently nudge her mind.

"_We took his energy sis. We drained him of energy that was swallowed up in madness and darkness. So, don't you think that if we took all the madness and darkness away, he would be normal, if only for a little while?"_

Jessie blinked as realization sunk through her pores. "He isn't evil" she whispered in shock. "He really, truly is just insane. It tainted him, but with it gone, he's who he should have been."

She looked over a Wyatt, her eyes saucers. "With it gone, he's you."

~0~

"What are you talkin' about?" Riley asked, her voice just a tiny bit shrill. Jessie sighed.

"We drained his madness-infused essence. He's sane at the moment. And he just asked me to kill him. He wants to die."

The room froze.

"What?! No! We can't do that! Not now!"

Piper's anguished cry filled spread through the silence and Jessie felt her heart twist in indecision. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt her severely. He'd kidnapped her and tortured her and nearly destroyed her relationship with an Uncle that she loved with all her heart. He'd hurt Maxwell, Jack and Kat as well. He deserved to die. But… like this?

Thinking of her cousin and Aunt, she scowled and turned back to the man lying on the floor. His eyes were open and they were pained. His body was trembling as he awaited the answer to his request.

"Reverse the spell" she demanded abruptly. "The anti-healing spell. Reverse it."

Evil Wyatt's eyes widened and horrible guilt swirled through them again. He let out a soft groan, tried to take another deep breath, and then suddenly began to mutter to himself, slowly and with a lot of effort. Finally, his lips stopped moving and he gasped.

Jessie glanced down, watching herself glow red, as did almost everybody else in the room. When the glow faded, she looked back down at her Uncle's counterpart and inclined her head in thanks. Relief briefly touched the man's eyes, before they closed in exhaustion.

She looked back over when Paige eagerly lifted both hands and waved them. Two separate swirls of blue and white orbs appeared, tinkling ringing through the room. Laura shot over to her mother's side when the clouds cleared.

Kat did not look good. Her skin was a sickly grey colour and she was panting in short, hard gasps as sweat poured off her. Her shakes were constant now, making her body dance over the carpet. Jessie swallowed as fear swam through her blood. But if she thought she was scared at the sight of her Aunt, it was nothing compared to what she felt when she looked at Jack.

At first, Jessie thought the younger girl was dead. Her skin was so beyond pale, it was transparent. She looked like a skeleton, her clothes trailing off her like the train of a wedding dress. Her usually shaggy, thick hair was split and crusting, flaking like it was going to fall apart the instant she moved. She looked like the like she belonged on a table in the morgue.

"Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack. Wyatt, help her!" Riley pleaded as she and Lydia ran to the young witches side. Wyatt didn't have to be told twice. He shot across the room and held his hands over his daughter, Chris doing the same thing to Kat, closely followed by the rest of Kat's immediate family. Jessie waited with baited breath, as far too slowly, warm golden light began to stream from their hands.

It took a long time. A _very _long time. Jessie clutched her mother in fear as both Chris's and Wyatt's faces became more and more desperate the longer they tried.

"Come on, come _on!_ God damn it, Clementine, don't do this to me! Live!"

Chris was muttering to himself as well, and though Jessie couldn't hear what he was saying, she knew that it would have been something along the same lines. They both gritted their teeth in determination and the healing light all but exploded from Wyatt's hands, the same thing happening to Chris when Paige laid her hands over his. It still didn't seem to be enough.

"No! This is _not_ happening!"

Suddenly the room was bursting of the most unbelievable power. It detonated out of Wyatt and coated everything, bouncing off the ceiling and walls, and pushing the family back a step or two as the Twice Blessed snarled in desperation and fear. The light flowing from his hands increased tenfold, storming out of him like a bullet out of a gun, enveloping his daughter completely. The same thing abruptly happened to Chris as well, very much to the second Halliwell son's shock. Jessie gasped as her hair stood on end. She'd known her Uncle was powerful, but not _this_ powerful!

There was dead silence from the room, the only thing punctuating it, the sound of Wyatt's fierce pleading, when suddenly a painful cough erupted from Kat and she gasped loudly.

"Mom! Oh, thank God! Mom!"

Very slowly, with the help of her husband and daughter, Kat sat up, her hand resting on her chest as she looked around in bewilderment. Jessie grinned, quickly looking over at Jack, only to frown. Jack wasn't copying her Aunt. She still looked very much unconscious.

"Wyatt? Is she okay?" Riley asked anxiously, desperately.

The healing light had stopped flowing from Wyatt's hands and the power he had thrown off had been sucked back into him. His head was slumped, and Jessie's heart stopped, before he suddenly sat back and she saw her cousin's face.

It was warm. Warm and a little bit pink. There was definite life there.

"Yes. She'll be fine" Wyatt rasped, his hands shaking, and Jessie's legs nearly gave way in relief. Riley sobbed at his answer and leaned down to her daughter, tears falling down her cheeks. She shoulders shook as she cried.

"Why is she not awake?" Lydia asked in a trembling voice.

"She needs to recover, and it'll be a long recovery I think. She was so close… so close to leaving us. So c-close…"

His voice broke on the last word and Piper rushed across the room, sinking down beside him and putting her arms around him. He turned and locked his arms his arms around her as well, his face buried in her stomach.

She held him, rocking him as if he was still a little boy, only letting him go when Riley took her place. Jessie turned and stepped into her mother's arms, only just holding back her own tears. They were alive. Her Aunt and cousin were alive.

She looked over Lindsey's shoulder, meeting the guilt-riddled eyes of the man who had nearly cracked her family right down the middle. Now they had to figure out what they were going to do with him. And the decision wasn't going to be easy.

~0~

"There must be a way to save him!"

"He tortured my Jessie and nearly killed Jack, Dad! Two of your Granddaughters! He doesn't deserve to be saved!"

Jessie grimaced as the argument went round and round. Lindsey, Chris, Vic, Maxwell, Laura, Kat, Andrew, Tammy, Henry, Matt, Lydia and Riley were very much against even trying. Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Coop, Penny and Ben were very much for it. Melinda, Luc, PJ, Parker, Mark and surprisingly Paige and Henry Jnr were all still sitting on the fence, as was Jessie. She didn't know what to think. She wanted him to pay, but she didn't. Not like this. Not while he reminded her so much of her Uncle.

Said Uncle hadn't given an opinion at all. He was leaning back against the couch, his hand in Jack's – who was sleeping very deeply on the couch – and watching the argument with an unreadable expression. All he'd done when asked what he thought, was frown and look away. They hadn't pushed him. No matter what his counterpart had done to his family, it wasn't everyday he had to contemplate his own death.

"_They aren't the same person sis."_

Jessie sighed. She knew that. She did. But it was hard, because at the moment, they very nearly were.

She looked over at a strange little sound, her being the only person who noticed it, as the others were still busy arguing. She frowned as the man on the floor gestured to her again, his eyes frustrated and incredibly drained. Walking over, she knelt down and raised a brow in question.

"…Stop arrrguingggg. No nneeedd. …Killll mmeeee!"

"They may be able to save you. You could have a happy, normal life" Jessie said softly, her tone revealing her confliction. She jumped when his hand lifted and latched onto her arm painfully.

"No! I kkkillled! …I torturrrred! Hurttt you! So manyyy… things! Donn't deservvvve!"

Her eyes widened. He wanted to die. He _really_ wanted to die. Oh, Christ. Not-so-evil Wyatt's eyes begged her as she stared into them.

"…Pleassse. Pleaaase."

"I can't" she whispered in a strangled tone as his weak voice collapsed. "Not while you're like this. I just can't."

Something shifted in Wyatt's eyes at her words, and they seemed to harden. His mouth twisted in bitterness.

"Finnne. I will…"

He trailed off and in the blink of an eye; he was on his feet and lunging at Jessie. She shrieked as his frail, or in this case, not-so-frail body slammed into her. His hands clamped around her throat and began to squeeze.

He snarled savagely down at her as black dots began to swarm Jessie vision and the room filled with terrified and angry bellowed. Jessie's hands scrambled at his hands, and Wyatt's mouth moved as he mumbled something only Jessie could hear.

"Kill me. Kill me. Please, kill me. Please!"

As the dots grew larger and began to overtake her vision, Jessie stared up into tortured, horribly sad, fraught eyes. This wasn't her Uncle. Her Uncle would never beg her to take his life. This was a broken man. A man who couldn't live the crippling guilt anymore. Couldn't live with the what he'd done.

"Please. Before it comes back. Please!"

In that spilt second, Jessie made her decision.

"O-kay."

She did the only thing she could do. As Wyatt's hands loosened in her throat, allowing her to breathe and concentrate again, and relief poured across his face and lit his eyes when he heard her ragged, disjointed whisper, she lifted her hand, focused her gift and put him out of his misery. The shot of fire she sent at him was so hot, it incinerated him instantly. The second before it hit him, the man who could have been her Uncle, smiled a wide, joy-filled smile, his arms spreading wide to embrace his fate.

"Thank you."


	19. Epilogue (Coming together) - Part one

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Epilogue (Coming together) – part one**

_The second before it hit him, the man who could have been her Uncle, smiled a wide, joy-filled smile, his arms spreading wide to embrace his fate._

"_Thank you."_

* * *

_One Month Later._

Jessie paced the living room of her family home. She went round and round, her face frozen in an impatient frown. Where the hell were they? Why weren't they here yet? He said they'd be here an hour or so before the part-

She spun round when she felt the air vibrate, and a large smile bloomed across her face as the shimmering stopped to reveal three people, two of whom Jessie was very familiar with.

"Maxwell!" she yelled, running across the room and all but bowling the older man over. Maxwell grinned at her enthusiastic greeting.

"Miss me kid?" he laughed. His amusement made Jessie suddenly realize that she was standing with her arms locked around him, as if she wasn't going to let go anytime soon. Flushing, she quickly stepped back and scowled in embarrassment.

"Course not!" she scoffed and the Londoner rolled his eyes.

"_Missed you too Jessie" _he said in her head and Jessie scowl deepened as she looked anywhere but at him. Maxwell chuckled at her reaction, more then used to the way his little sister didn't like to show her feelings.

"So this is Jessie?" a soft accented voice asked and the young witch turned to meet deep chocolate brown eyes that were warm with greeting.

"Yes, that's Jessie" Maxwell answered, grinning again. "Jess, this is Holly Rothman, my Mum."

Jessie's eyes widened. She'd known Ben and Max were bringing a guest with them, but she hadn't known who. She supposed she should have realized who it would be.

"Ah… hi" she said awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. She gotten so used to thinking of Maxwell and Ben as part of the family, and Maxwell as her brother in particular, that throwing someone else into the mix took some getting used to. Especially considering that someone was his mother.

She frowned to herself. Her own mother's reaction to this development was going to be interesting to see.

Lindsey was trying really, really hard not to put too much pressure on Maxwell, and for the most part, she was succeeding. Or she was now anyway. At first, her desperation to know the reincarnation of her firstborn had been very easy to see. So easy in fact, that she had been trying far too hard and making Maxwell uncomfortable again. He and Ben had stayed for a week or so after 'the incident', and even though their reasons for leaving had been reasonable, Jessie couldn't help wondering if Lindsey had scared him away.

Apparently, Laura had thought the same thing. She'd come over a day after Ben and Max had left, with a very determined look on her face, and had asked to speak to Lindsey privately. They'd spoken for almost an hour, and Lindsey had left the room very pale, but determined as well. Laura had left it with a smile.

Jessie didn't know what her best friend had said to her mother, as neither party would divulge anything. But after that, Lindsey had sat in the study, writing a letter for most of the afternoon, and then had her husband orb it to London. Maxwell had called that night, and everything had gone from there, with Lindsey now trying her best not to be too eager, and to take it as it comes.

This was the first time Max and Ben had been back though. Jessie could understand it, as they did have lives of their own. But she hadn't realized how much she was going to miss her older brother. Not that she'd tell him that, though her greeting might have already done that for her.

"Hello" the tall, model-thin black woman said, her smile kind and gentle. "I am so glad to finally meet you! Where is your brother? Vic, is it?"

"Yeah, where is he? I thought you were both going to meet us?" Maxwell questioned.

"He's at the Manor with Mom and Dad, helping set up. Apparently, everything has decided to go wrong within the last hour, and they needed all hands on deck to fix it" Jessie answered quietly. She turned to greet the other person she hadn't managed to say hello to yet.

"Hi Ben" she said and the man with the scar smiled at her.

"Jessie" he said with a nod of his head. "If they need all hands on deck, why aren't you there as well? We could have just gone straight to the Manor."

Jessie grimaced. She didn't want to think of the reason why she chosen to stay and meet Maxwell and Ben, rather than go to the Manor and help out. It was the same reason why she'd spent next to no time there in the past month.

She no longer felt she was welcome.

Piper hadn't come right out and said that she didn't want her there, but that was the impression she got every time she saw her. She couldn't really blame her. After all, she had killed her son.

"_Christ, she's still not holding that against you, is she? She needs to get over it already! You did what you had to do!"_

Jessie sighed. _"No, I did what he asked me to do. I helped someone who in another lifetime was her son, kill himself. I don't think she'll ever be able to forgive me for that."_

"_Listen kid, he was hurting you! And he would have continued to hurt you, and the others as well, until someone did what he wanted! You didn't have a choice! It was either then, or later when he was a lot more powerful and a lot more insane again!"_

He scowled. _"And you said it anyway; he was her son in another lifetime! Not now! Wyatt is still alive and kicking, and he isn't holding this against you! She needs to pull her head out of her arse and stop acting like a child!"_

Jessie blinked and a small grin spread across her face. Man, she really had missed him. Who else would champion her like that, apart from Vic, her parents and Laura? Oh, and Jack and her Aunt and Uncle as well.

"_See? Many people agreed with and stood behind your decision. She needs to let it go."_

"_Okay, okay, I get the picture"_ she grumbled. _"Leave it be, would you? I'll be seeing her later, as will you. You can growl at her then."_

"_Gladly" _Maxwell muttered. _"She has no right to hurt you like this."_

"Are they talking to each other?" Holly asked curiously, and both Maxwell and Jessie jumped as they remembered they weren't the only ones in the room.

"Yes, they are, and if Lindsey finds out how rude they're being, she won't be happy" Ben said dryly.

Jessie grimaced again, holding back her snappy retort to Maxwell's complaint. She really couldn't afford for her mother to be angry at her. She shook her head and held out her hands.

"Come on, we better go, we don't want to keep _certain people_ waiting" she said with a smirk. Ben smirked as well, but both Holly and Maxwell just looked eager.

"Yes, lets. I want to meet this girl who has my son tied up in knots" Holly murmured, grinning at Maxwell when he blanched.

The three foreigners reached out, Max taking one hand while Ben took the other, Holly holding onto her husband.

"You know, I can get there myself" Maxwell said and Jessie shook her head.

"No you can't. They upgraded and strengthened the wards. They only let orbing and hearting in now."

Maxwell looked surprised, but nodded. Jessie took a deep breath and orbed them all to the place she once considered a second home.

~0~

"Maxwell! My man!"

Jessie rolled her eyes as Vic's voice boomed across the room when they arrived in the foyer. He was holding a long paper streamer and wearing a very wide grin. Max grinned back as Vic galloped out of the dining room to slap palms with him.

"Good to see you dude."

"You too Vic. How have you been?"

"I'm good" Vic answered cheerfully. Jessie narrowed her eyes. That was a bit over the top. He was far from good. He was incredibly stubborn, and was suffering because of it.

"_Jeez sis, give it a rest, would you? I'll deal with it when I want to, not because you tell me to!"_

"_You need to talk to him!"_

"_Look who's talking Jessica! I don't see you talking to Gran!"_

"_Whoa! Okay, what's going on with you two?"_

"_Nothing!" _they both snapped, and then shared a guilty look when Maxwell stepped back in surprise.

"Sorry" they both said as the same time, before grinning at each other because of it. Maxwell sighed and shook his head.

"Ben!" another voice called and Jessie stiffened as she recognized it. She turned slowly to watch Piper walking across the dining room from the kitchen. As always, when she saw her Grandmother, Jessie was reminded of the fight they'd had right after she'd vanquished Evil Wyatt...

_**Her Grandmother stared at her with horror written all over her face, before she suddenly began to shriek.**_

"_**No! God, no! What have you done?! You killed him! You murdered him!"**_

"_**I didn't!" Jessie croaked out, shocked at her display. She struggled to get to her feet, smiling in thanks at her brother and father when they helped her up.**_

"_**I didn't murder him. I vanquished him."**_

"_**He wasn't a demon!" Piper shouted. "You killed him! You killed my son!"**_

"_**Mom…"**_

_**Piper ignored Chris, not noticing the way Wyatt jerked slightly at her sentence, but Jessie did. She frowned.**_

"_**He wasn't your son! He was an insane, evil dictator who was finally able to see just what he'd done to the people he loved. He begged me to do it, and I couldn't say no! I helped him!"**_

"_**Helped him?! That wasn't help! That was evil! That's the type of thing a demon does! How could you?! How could you?!"**_

"_**Piper, enough!"**_

"_**I won't have it! I won't have a murdered in my house-"**_

"_**STOP!"**_

_**Piper shut up and stared at Ben in shock. Jessie didn't move at all. She couldn't. It hurt too much.**_

"_**Be careful what you say, Piper. You don't want to cast another family member out of this house, do you?"**_

_**Piper's eyes widened and she stared at him in silence. Jessie took the opportunity to try and compose herself. It didn't work.**_

"_**It's okay Ben, I think I'll go anyway" she said quietly, fighting not to let her voice break.**_

"_**We'll all go" Lindsey said icily with an acidic look at the eldest Charmed One. "Come on honey, it's time to go home."**_

_**Vic and Maxwell crowded in behind her, both throwing dark looks at Piper, and Chris sent her a look so packed with anger and disappointment, that even Jessie shuddered.**_

"_**You owe my daughter an apology" he said very softly before turning around and walking over to put his hand on Jessie's shoulder.**_

"_**Home" he said. Maxwell held out his hand for Ben, who walked over, and Vic looked across the room.**_

"_**You coming?" he asked. Jessie frowned in confusion, her mouth forming a surprised O when Matt stepped forward and stood beside Vic. He still didn't look at her.**_

"_**I'll be there shortly. I need to make sure Mom's okay first" Laura called softly to Jessie, confirming who she was standing behind. Jessie smiled at her gratefully.**_

_**Piper took a single step forward, her expression torn, before she stopped herself. Jessie swallowed hard, unable to look at her. The group orbed away without a single word spoken. **_

Jessie sighed. That had been the last time her Grandmother and her had talked. Sure, they were polite to each other, and the rest of the family had cleared the air, but she and Piper hadn't had a real conversation in a month, and that fact was killing her.

"_So talk to her then!"_

"_Shut up Victor!" _she snapped, only just stopping herself from erecting her shields.

"Ben! How are you? It's good to see you back! You too Maxwell. Who's this?" Piper asked with a smile as she stopped beside Jessie.

As introductions were made, Jessie stood silent and fidgeted. Piper made no move to get any closer to her, in fact, after a customary glance, she ignored her completely. It hurt. A lot. Jessie looked around desperately for a way out of this situation.

Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise above them.

"LOOK OUT!"

Jessie gasped as the chandelier above their heads swung violently and then came flying towards her. She gaped at it, not moving, until she abruptly found herself being flung to the side. She landed on the floor hard, a body landing on top of her as the chandelier smashed on the ground.

"Jessie? JESSIE? Are you okay?" Vic shouted. Jessie groaned as people came running from all corners of the house.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"What obviously happened Leo, is that damn chandelier fell! How many times have a told you to secure that thing?"

Jessie blinked at her Grandmother's muffled, but still angry voice, suddenly realizing that the body on top of her belonged to Piper. She stared at her silently as Piper pulled back to meet her gaze.

"Are you alright?" her Grandmother asked gently and Jessie nodded, frowning in confusion. Why was she acting like she cared?

Something a lot like regret flickered through Piper's eyes when she read her granddaughter's expression. She got up and held out her hand, pulling Jessie to her feet.

"My God! Is everyone okay?" Lindsey asked frantically, sighing when she didn't see any obvious injuries.

"We're fine. No one's hurt" Piper answered.

"The chandelier fell? How did that happen?" Riley asked and Leo grimaced.

"It's taken a lot over the years. With all the demon attacks it's withstood, I'm surprised it lasted this long" Leo said quietly. He turned to Jessie, his eyes filled with a very familiar looking guilt. "I'm so sorry. I've been meaning to get to it for a while now, but with everything that's happened lately…"

"It's okay" Jessie began to say, only to be interrupted.

"No it isn't! She could have died Leo!"

Jessie's mouth fell open as Piper passionately scolded her husband. Over her. Leo blanched and looked away, a frown on his face.

"I'm fine Gran" she whispered. Her eyes widened further when Piper swung back round to glare at her.

"But you could not have been! We could have lost you!"

The two unspoken works at the end of that sentence hung silently in the air. As well. We could have lost you _as well._ Jessie swallowed as her heart ached. It always came back to that. Always.

Relief flowed through her as her eyes frantically searched the room and landed on her best friend. Laura was standing at the back of the group with a concerned look on her face. Jessie smiled. She was a perfect way to get away from all this awkwardness and grief.

"Hey birthday girl" she called, chuckling to herself when Maxwell's head shot round. His eyes widened and her visibly gulped as his eyes ran over her. Jessie smirked, sending her cousin a knowing glance. Going by the short, red, statement dress Laura was wearing, she'd obviously put _a lot_ of thought into her party outfit.

Laura flushed when she met Maxwell's gaze, smiling happily at him. Jessie didn't know the details of their relationship – if you could call it a relationship – as Laura had been more closed mouthed about it then she'd expected her to be, but she did know that the Murphy household phone bill was getting rather large. Laura spent a lot of time on the phone to London, as well as connecting via the internet as well.

Laura had told her that they'd been awkward with each other at first. She said that she couldn't get over the fact that someone like Maxwell wanted to stay in contact with her. She'd been blown away when he nervously approached her just before he and Ben had left and asked for her number. She'd been positive that her feelings were one sided, and she'd refused to believe Jessie when she insisted that they weren't. So she'd been highly surprised when he'd begun a conversation her, finally ending in asking for her phone number.

She'd given it to him, but their conversations had been about trivial things until Maxwell had taken the plunge and broadened the topics. Laura had blushed and shaken her head when Jessie had demanded to know what he'd said. All she'd told her was that that conversation had moved them past friends and on to something different.

Not more. Not yet. There were too many negative factors to jump right into something. But that phone call had been a beginning and Jessie knew that her cousin was incredibly happy at the way things were going.

This was the first time she'd seen Maxwell as well. It was the first time any of them had seen him, or Ben. With Ben, it was understandable. He was highly confused over his situation. The memories that were still bubbling away in his head were making it hard for him to connect with the Halliwells. And he was confused over Evil Wyatt's death as well. In another lifetime, the man had been his brother, someone he'd loved when he was a child. Comparing those rising memories to the man who had kidnapped and hurt his son had been tearing him apart. And combining that with a family who were more than keen to know him… Jessie was sure that was the reason, along with missing his wife, why he'd been so eager to go home. She thought at first that he hated her, like her Grandmother now did, but he'd swiftly corrected that when Maxwell had stuck his nose in and let his father know what Jessie was thinking.

"_**I don't hate you Jessie. You did what you had to do. The fact is, if you hadn't, someone else would have had to later, and it would have been harder then. Piper shouldn't have said what she did. I'm proud that you had the strength to help him when he asked for it. I'm grateful really. So thank you."**_

Jessie had left the Manor pretty quickly after that. There was no way she could hold her emotions back any longer, and she didn't want him or her Grandmother to see her break down.

Now, she walked past Piper, missing the way her Grandmother's face fell as she walked away from her, and took Laura's hand.

"How does it feel to be an adult?" she asked her cheekily, and Laura smiled.

"I'll tell you when I become one" she said in a dry tone.

Jessie laughed and then raised an eyebrow. "I like the outfit."

Her laughter grew when Laura blushed.

"Yeah, well, it _is_ my birthday, so I thought I'd get dressed up for once" Laura muttered.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Jessie teased. "Nothing to do with a certain English witch?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Laura said primly. Jessie grinned at her meaningfully and Laura rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I've got something to show you, and you need to change as well" she said, beginning to drag Jessie up the stairs.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? And don't you want to hang out with Maxwell? His Mom is here!"

"I know!" Laura hissed as she dragged her down the hallway and into Lindsey's old room. "I'm not ready to meet her yet! And we've got all day; I can hang out with him later!"

"You can't put it off forever, you know" Jessie said. "You'll have to face her eventually. And how did you know she was coming? He didn't tell me!"

"He knows that if he sprung this on me with no warning, he wouldn't have enjoyed the consequences" Laura muttered darkly. Jessie grinned at the thought of Maxwell cowering under the gaze of the tiny little witch that was Laura. The image was pretty funny.

"Here" Laura said, picking a swath of material up off the bed. "Put this on."

"I ask again, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Jessie grumbled as she caught the piece of clothing. Her eyes narrowed as she held it out and realized what it was.

"And how the hell did you get my best dress out of my closet without me knowing?"

"I have my ways" Laura said mysteriously, grinning when Jessie scowled at her. "And there's nothing wrong with what you're wearing, you look cute. But it's my birthday and I want you to look spectacular. We both know that it's impossible for you not to look that way in that dress. Now put it on."

Jessie muttered to herself, but did as she was told. She had to agree with the birthday girl. She did look great in the dress. The midnight blue colour gave her skin a healthy glow, and since the babydoll skirt only came to mid-thigh, her legs looked like they went on for miles. She smiled to herself as she smoothed it down. She didn't have many chances to wear the dress, so she was glad she could now.

"Heads up."

She looked up just in time to catch a pair of black, high-heeled ankle boots before they hit her in the head. She glared at the witch who had thrown them at her.

"Sorry" Laura said with a grin, not sorry at all. Jessie grunted and sat down on the bed to put them on.

"I almost get taken out by a chandelier, then my shoes almost become a murder weapon as well!" she grumbled. She narrowed her eyes again when Laura laughed.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I? Are you ready?"

"Yeah, yeah" Jessie answered before standing back up and cocking her head at her cousin. "You said you had something to show me?"

"Umm, yeah. I do."

Jessie's brows drew down in concern and confusion when Laura sucked in a shaky breath and picked up something else off the bed. She handed it to her cousin silently, and Jessie's confusion grew when she saw it was a letter.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it" Laura answered. Jessie frowned again, pulled the letter out of the envelope and opened it.

Her eyes widened as she read what it said.

"Oxford University? You got accepted into Oxford University? In England?"

"Yes, I did" Laura whispered.

"A lot closer to Maxwell" Jessie murmured. She looked up curiously. "Are you going to go?"

"I, ah, yeah, I think I am."

Jessie nodded, her mind spinning. Was this for her, or was she doing this for other reasons?

"Jessie? Say something!"

"Are you going just to be closer to Max?" she blurted. Laura's eyes widened.

"What? No! I'm going because I want to go! They have a fantastic medical program and I'll learn a lot there!"

She sighed and sat down on the bed, patting the space beside her for Jessie to sit as well.

"Though I suppose he has a lot to do with it as well. I don't think I would have considered it so hard if he hadn't come into the picture. But the main reason is their medical program. I've thought a lot about this, and I've decided that I do want to be a doctor. Oxford will help a lot in reaching that goal."

Jessie felt a slow smile spread across her face as her best friend told her what she wanted to hear. Laura had agonized over this decision. Jessie had always thought that she should stick to her original goal, but she'd kept her opinion to herself. The decision was Laura's to make. And she was really glad she'd made the right one. She'd make an excellent doctor and Jessie was glad she wasn't throwing away all the work she'd put in to having the career she wanted.

"Well, this family _would _benefit from having a doctor around" Jessie mused with a grin. Laura's face brightened.

"So you're okay with it? You think I've made the right decision?"

"Of course I do! I'm thrilled for you! Congratulations Lau!" she laughed as she threw her arms around her cousin's neck. She hugged her tightly, rocking from side to side as Laura giggled.

"Does Maxwell know?" Jessie asked after she'd pulled back. Laura shook her head.

"I wanted to tell you first, get your opinion."

"Well, my opinion is that he's going to wet himself when he finds out you're moving to his country next year!" Jessie grinned.

"I'm not going just for him Jessie!"

"I know, I know" she said as she rolled her eyes. "Okay, you want my opinion? I think you've made a bloody brilliant decision, as Maxwell would say. This is what's best for you, and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to miss you though."

Laura's expression softened. "I'll miss you to. But that's the joy of orbing Jessie. You can come see me whenever you like!"

"True" Jessie remarked and then laughed. "Come one, let's go down. I'm sure Max is biting his nails to the quick to get to you!"

A very sneaky-looking grin spread across Laura's face, making Jessie narrow her eyes again. She knew that look. Her cousin was up to something.

"Yes, lets" she agreed, pulling Jessie off the bed. "Everyone will be here soon."

"Laura McKenzie Murphy, what have you done?" Jessie asked suspiciously.

"I haven't done anything" her cousin answered innocently as they began to walk down the stairs, "just invited a few more people, that's all."

"What people?" Jessie asked, but her questioning was silenced when there was a knock on the front door.

"Why don't you answer that?" Laura suggested, a twinkle of laughter in her eye. Jessie scowled, walked the rest of the way down the stairs and through the now chandelier-free foyer. She opened the door carefully, wondering who was on the other side.

Her eyes widened as they met cautious blue/grey eyes.

"Matt" she said stupidly, her heart lifting, then falling. She spun round and glared at the stairs. Oh, she was going to kill her cousin!

* * *

**Quick A/N - Okay, so you may have realized that this isn't the end yet lol. I found there was too much left to fit all into one chapter. So, the second part will be up in a few days. Thanks for reading! :D**


	20. Epilogue (Coming together) - Part two

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Epilogue (Coming together) – part two**

"_Matt" she said stupidly, her heart lifting, then falling. She spun round and glared at the stairs. Oh, she was going to kill her cousin!_

* * *

"Jessie. Ah, hey."

Jessie tensed as his voice washed over her, her glare fading. Laura looked back at her from the stairs, with an encouraging expression in her eyes. She closed her own eyes and took a deep breath before turning back to the doorway.

A smirk appeared on her face as Matt took in what she was wearing. She silently thanked Laura for making her change. Matt's eyes widened as they ran over her, taking in the tight fitting bodice and the large amount of leg on display. His cheeks flushed, his eyes glazed over slightly and his mouth dropped open.

_That's right Mathew, eat your heart out!_

It was a long moment before he managed to pull himself together.

"Umm, Jessie… wow. You look…" he trailed off and visibly gulped.

"Thanks" Jessie said, her smirk growing. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah… ah, yeah, okay."

She stepped back, still very much amused. The amusement faded quickly when Matt quite obviously stepped through the doorway as far away from her as possible. His shoulder almost collided with the opposite doorframe in his haste not to make contact with her. Jessie scowled as her heart sank further. If he still didn't want anything to do with her, why was he here?

Matt had gone home speedily after they'd arrived back at her house the day she'd vanquished Evil Wyatt. He'd stepped back from the family immediately after the orb cloud had cleared, his eyes looking everywhere but at Jessie. He'd mumbled something about needing to get home, as his mother would be worried, and then he'd left. Just like that. Without a word to Jessie about anything. And he hadn't really spoken to her since.

He'd said a few customary things to her at school, such as asking how Jack was, or asking if she'd written down the casting notes, but apart from that, he'd shown no indication that he wanted anything to do with her. It was as if the kiss had never happened. As if he'd never said he liked and admired her. He was acting like he didn't even want to be friends with her, leaving a very confused and hurt witch behind him as he walked away.

Finally, Jessie had just stopped trying. He didn't want to know her anymore? Then she was fine with that. He could go jump off a bridge for all she cared.

She turned away from him and walked back through the foyer towards a disappointed looking Laura.

"The others will be here soon. We're just finishing setting up. I'm sure Gran can find you something to do if you ask" she called back over her shoulder.

"Oh. Ah, okay. I'll… catch you later then?"

Jessie snorted. _Not likely buster!_

"I'm sure I'll see you around" she answered casually, not looking at him. Laura frowned at her as Matt hesitated before walking past her and into the conservatory. Jessie heard Riley greet him in surprise.

"Don't you dare say a word!" she hissed at her still frowning cousin.

"That was rude!" Laura hissed right back.

"So? He's been rude for the past month! Why did you even invite him? I can't believe you!"

"You two need to talk! You're really good together and he helped you a lot during the battle!"

"Yes, but then he did a complete about face! He wants nothing to do with me!"

"Didn't seem like that to me" Laura said with a frustrated frown. "He looked disappointed when you didn't stay and talk to him, and he seemed very eager to come when I rang to invite him. He specifically asked if you were going to be here."

"Of course I was going to be here. What a stupid question" Jessie muttered, her heart twisting with confusion. He'd asked that? Why? If he wanted to be around her, why had he been treating her like an annoyance for the past month?

She sighed, putting it out of her mind. Today wasn't about her. Today was Laura's day.

"Come on, let's go help" she said, ignoring Laura when she pursed her lips in irritation at the subject change.

~0~

Vic smirked as he watched Laura drag his sister up the stairs. He knew what she was up to. She hadn't discussed it with him, but he'd had his suspicions at what she was going to do the instant she asked him if he had Matt's number. When she'd then come to him to ask him to raid his sisters closet for her, he'd known exactly what she was up to. And he approved.

Matt needed to get over himself, and Jessie needed to stop being so stubborn. He looked at his Gran, who was staring after Jessie sadly. In more ways than one.

He frowned as his conscience reared its ugly head, spouting things like looking in the mirror and listening to his own advice. He batted it away, not ready to face that dreaded conversation yet. Or argument that it may turn out to be.

Vic knew he had to talk to his father. He just didn't want to. It hurt every time Chris eagerly awaited a letter or phone call from Maxwell, and Vic couldn't help the way he treated his father afterwards. He knew it was confusing and baffling Chris – enough that he'd gone to Leo for advice, as the former Elder knew a little bit about dealing with a son who hated him.

Vic sighed to himself. He didn't hate his father. He loved him very much. Which was why it hurt so much. He was trying his best not to take it out on Maxwell, but it was hard, and his thoughts were often dark and bitter, a fact that his sister had noticed immediately. She'd straight away started in on talking to Chris, and Vic had straight away gone on the defensive, resulting in their arguments being more heated then usual of late.

He pushed his depressing thoughts to the back of his mind and turned to look at Maxwell, who was watching him thoughtfully. Vic groaned silently. Would he ever get used to someone else besides Jessie being able to read his mind?

"_Think what it's like for me Vic. Before I met you two, my thoughts were all my own. Now…"_

Vic grinned. _"Aren't you enjoying our company, Maxy boy?" _he asked cheekily. Maxwell snorted, grinning back at him.

"_At least your thoughts are dulled when I'm at home. I don't have to put up with teenage angst all day, every day"_ he teased, making Vic laugh.

"Okay, maybe we should get this place cleaned up" Henry Jnr suggested, stepping over and crouching down beside the shattered chandelier. Vic went to help him.

"The Vanishing Spell would be easier" Melinda put forward innocently, smirking when Piper turned to glare at her.

"I know, I know, Personal Gain" Mel sighed, laughter in her tone. Piper nodded firmly and turned to greet the new comers once more. With her back turned, Vic grinned at his Aunt and began muttering under his breath.

Piper spun back around as she caught the twinkling white lights in the corner of her vision. Her eyes widened and then narrowed as both Maxwell and Mel hid their laughter. Vic smiled innocently.

"What? We don't want any party guests cutting themselves on stray bits of glass, do we?"

Chris rolled his eyes at his son's antics and even Lindsey smirked. The tall woman who no one knew yet, laughed quietly.

"So I'm guessing this is Vic?" she asked with a grin.

"Yip, that's Vic alright" Maxwell chuckled. "What gave it away?"

"Probably the eyes" the woman said dryly, still grinning.

"Yup, I'm me" Vic cheerfully stated. "Any you are?"

"Oh, sorry. Everyone, this is my Mum, Holly."

Out of the corner of his eye, Vic saw his mother freeze. Chris saw the stillness as well and quickly took her hand. Vic grimaced.

"_Don't you think you should have warned us Max?" _he said quietly. He nodded in Lindsey's direction when the older man looked at him in confusion.

Maxwell grimaced as well when he saw her face. It was blank, and they both knew what that meant.

"_Sorry, I didn't think."_

"_Yeah, well, maybe you should next time"_ Vic grumbled. Maxwell frowned at him, not used to his brother being anything but cheery.

Vic sighed and watched as further introductions were made. Lindsey was polite, maybe just a touch frosty to Holly, but the other woman didn't seem to mind. If anything, she was extra kind to the Ravenblood, not put off by her defensive attitude in any way. Chris stuck by her side the entire time. He smiled at the three of them in welcome, his gaze lingering a little longer on Maxwell then on the others.

Vic's stomach twisted and he turned away from his father and the man whom he now thought of as a brother.

"_Talk to him kid."_

Vic grimaced again. _"Not today."_

"_Why not? No other day's going to be any better."_

"_It's Laura's birthday!"_

"_So? I know for a fact that she'll understand, and if you do it before the party starts, you won't ruin anything."_

Vic ignored him and Maxwell sighed.

"Right, where can we help?" he asked aloud.

"The gazebo still needs to be put up" Piper said. "But without magic!"

"Vic, why don't you give Chris a hand to do that?" Maxwell suggested, and Vic spun back round to stare at him in shock. Maxwell grinned when Chris looked surprised before raising his eyebrows in a hesitant question at his son.

"_You sneaky bastard!"_

"_Who, me? I'm just assigning duties Vic. I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"_God damn annoying brothers" _Vic muttered, frowning when Max laughed in his head. He sighed and turned towards the back door, stopping to look over at his father expectantly.

Maxwell walked over to Chris and Vic frowned when he saw him mutter something in his ear. A large smile spread across Chris's face and he quickly began to follow his son. Lindsey watched all this with amusement sparkling in her eyes.

"What else needs doing?" Maxwell asked as Vic walked out the door, his father right behind him.

~0~

"Ah, Vic?"

Vic sighed at his father's cautious voice, knowing exactly where this was going. He ignored him, hoping Chris would get the message. He should have known better.

"Victor? Look at me please."

The overly patient tone was one thing Vic couldn't ignore. It meant that if he didn't do what Chris wanted, the next tone he would face would be anger. He sighed again and turned around, his expression closed.

"Have I done something to offend you son?"

_Other than ignoring me most of my life? No, not really!_

"No. Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about it? You've been… distant with me lately. I just want to know why."

Vic snorted. "Yeah, well you've been distant with me for a lot longer than that" he muttered, not intending for Chris to hear him.

He did.

"What? What are you talking about? I'm not distant with you!"

Vic's head shot up, his mouth open. He didn't really believe that, did he?

"Vic? Look, you obviously believe that I've treated you in some way I shouldn't have-"

"I more than believe it!" Vic exploded, his very slow building anger getting the best of him. Chris blinked, taken aback.

"I know you're distant with me! You treat me completely different to the way you treat Jessie! Up until now I've just accepted it, but with Max in the picture, and your _eagerness_ to be around him, I can't anymore! You don't love me as much as Jessie and Max!"

Chris's eyes widened and he strode across the grass, swiftly pulling his son into his arms.

"Oh God Vic, _no! _Don't you dare ever think that! I love you no less than them, and I'm sorry, so sorry, for ever making you think that I do!"

"Then why don't you ever want to be around me? You went to all of Jessie's plays and recitals and the like when we were kids, but only a few of mine. And now, I never see you look at me the way you look at Maxwell. Why am I not enough?"

Chris groaned at his son's muffled words.

"I'm sorry, so very, very sorry. I never, _never_ meant to make you feel that way. I love you Vic, more than you can imagine."

He sighed and pulled back, meeting Vic's pain-filled eyes.

"Okay, here's the thing. I know this is absolutely no excuse, but when we, when _I, _lost Max, well it really hurt. So much. You're mother knew how much I wanted a family, in fact, it was an issue between us when we thought we couldn't have any more children, until we got it sorted out. We were both ecstatic when we found out the two of you were coming along. I was thrilled to have a daughter, more then proud to have a son, but a tiny little part of me couldn't help thinking that it should have been Max instead."

His grip tightened on Vic's shoulders when he went to pull away.

"No, stop. Please listen to me. I love you with everything I have Victor. Just because that tiny little part of me existed, doesn't mean I'm not incredibly proud to call you my son. The recital thing was that horrible part again, thinking that he should be up there. Most of the time I didn't go because I didn't want your joy to be clouded with my issues. It seems to have had the opposite effect though."

"I never, _never_ thought you'd ever pick up on what I was feeling, Vic. I should have known better, I guess. You're too smart not to" he said with a grin. Vic sent a weak, waverey grin back at him before quickly looking down again, and Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

"And now, I guess with Max being here… it's just bought it all to the surface again. But that _does not_ mean I don't love you any less than your sister, or Max for that matter. If anything, I probably love you more because I had you all along. You've always been there Vic, making me laugh with your crazy antics and frustrating the hell out of your mother and me when you and Jessie team up against us. But I promise you, if given a chose, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you Victor. Please believe that."

Vic kept contemplating the grass as he slowly absorbed what he's father was desperately trying to get through to him. He finally lifted his head, his heart light for the first time in a long time.

"I do" he said simply and Chris laughed, dragging him back in for a hug.

"Good. That's good. Now, how about we set up this gazebo, huh?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll set it up better than Maxwell ever could!" Vic crowed with exaggerated enthusiasm. Recognizing this as the crack it was supposed to be, Chris laughed again. He put his arm around his sons shoulder and they both got to work.

"_See? Talking is good!"_

Vic chuckled at Maxwell's smugness. _"Shut up big bother."_

"_Right after you do little brother!" _Max teased and Chris shook his head when Vic laughed loudly at something only he could hear.

~0~

Laura and Jessie walked into the kitchen, both of them stopping dead when Lindsey, Piper, Maxwell and Holly turned to face them. Maxwell's face lit when he saw Laura, and Jessie smirked when apprehension filled Laura's eyes. _Ha. Payback time!_

"Well, hello. You took off before we could officially meet" Holly said with a warm smile, stepping forward and holding out her hand. "I'm Holly, Maxwell's Mum."

Jessie's gaze shot to Lindsey's when Laura gulped and shakily stepped forward herself to meet the British witch. Her mother looked like she was trying to swallow a very large stone. Jessie sighed and went over to her, taking her hand.

"Where's Dad?" she whispered as she squeezed it.

"In the back yard with Vic" Lindsey whispered back. She smiled at her daughter gratefully. "Now maybe they'll get themselves sorted out."

"You know about that?" Jessie murmured in surprise.

Lindsey snorted. "Of course I do. How can I not know something when my husband and son are involved?"

"True" Jessie said on a quiet laugh. "So. You okay with this?"

She nodded at Holly and Maxwell, who were now both standing beside Laura. The girl only looked slightly uncomfortable, so they must have made progress.

"She's fine, isn't she?" Piper answered for her, with a firm look at her daughter-in-law. Lindsey grimaced and sighed.

"I'm trying to be. It's hard. And her been so annoyingly nice doesn't make it any easier" she muttered with a tiny glare at Holly. Jessie chuckled.

"We can always whisk her away to some unknown island in the middle of nowhere" she suggested cheekily. Lindsey smiled.

"Don't temp me" she muttered and Jessie laughed, making the group on the other side of the room look up. Maxwell smirked as he noticed for the first time that Jessie had changed. He wolf-whistled and Jessie groaned.

"Looking good kid!" he teased her. Jessie poked her tongue out at him, making the trio laugh, when someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Ah… Riley sent me to tell you that the conservatory is done" Matt said quietly, his eyes flicking from Maxwell, to Jessie, and back again. He was frowning.

"Thank you Mathew. Why don't you start on the stairs now?" Piper suggested gently. Matt nodded, his eyes moving to Jessie.

"Wanna give me a hand?" he asked in a hesitant tone. Jessie's eyes widened, and she quickly searched the room for an escape. Fortunately, the universe provided.

The tinkle of orbing rang through the room and Jessie eagerly turned to see who it was. The blue and white cloud cleared to reveal Jack and a very put out Andrea. The mortal had her hand firmly around the teenager, which was a good thing, as Jack swayed the instant she'd completely formed.

"Jack! What are you doing?! You know you shouldn't be orbing! Your father will go mental if he finds out!" Lindsey barked. Jack scowled.

"I'm fine! I can handle a little orbing! Andrea's car was out of gas, so I got us here! It's not a big deal! Jeez!"

Jessie leapt across the room, taking Jack's arm and pulling her out of the room past Matt before she could snap anything else. Jack had been snapping a lot lately, mainly because most of the family were still molly-coddling her. In Jessie's opinion, they had to right to still treat her with kid gloves. Even though she'd been back on her feet for two weeks now, she still got weak and tired at times. But she was stubborn, like most of the Halliwell family, and kept insisting that she was fine.

"_She slept for a full week, only waking up to eat, and then spent another week in bed, not able to hold her own weight. Plus she's still far too skinny. She's not fine. Not yet anyway."_

Jessie snorted under her breath at Maxwell's observation. _"Yeah, try telling her that."_

She heard Matt sigh as she dragged her grumbling cousin out of the room. She ignored this, intent on getting away from him.

"Jessie, wait."

Her Grandmother's voice made her stop. She tightened her grip on Jack's hand and slowly turned around.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm busy" Jessie said quietly.

"No you're not" Jack stated. Jessie turned to glare at her. Not even a little bit fazed, the younger witched just raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need help. Gran does. Go help her."

Jessie scowled, not seeing a way out of it.

"Please, Jessie."

Her Grandmother's quiet little whisper did her in. She sighed and turned back towards her, Jack grabbing Matt's hand and pulling him through the dining room, towards the stairs.

"What do you need help with?" Jessie muttered.

Piper sighed. "Nothing. What I do need, is for you to forgive me."

Jessie opened and closed her mouth in confusion. Forgive her? For what?

"I'm sorry Jessie. Sorry for what I said that day. I shouldn't have said it. I got caught up in the hope that we might be able to save him, but I've come to realize that that man wasn't my son. My eldest is in the sitting room at the moment, helping finish decorating with his wife. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Jessie looked down at her hands, twisting them continuously.

"Did you mean it?" she whispered.

"Mean what honey?" Piper asked softly.

"When I killed him, you said only a demon would do something so evil. Did you mean it when you said I was evil?"

Jessie gasped when she was suddenly jerked into a strong pair of arms that belayed their age.

"No, Jessie no, I didn't mean it at all! You did what you had to do sweetheart. You didn't kill him, you vanquished him! You vanquished the evil side of him, and put the human side out of his misery. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that. He was hurting you, a fact that Leo, Wyatt and Chris have spent a lot of time drilling into my head. You did what any of us would do, what I raised your father to do, and he in turn raised you to do. You defended yourself. That's all. It wasn't evil. I knew that when I was saying it, I just couldn't get my stupid head passed the fact that someone who looked a lot like Wyatt had just died by my granddaughters' hand."

"He wasn't Wyatt" Jessie whispered.

"No honey, he wasn't. Not the Wyatt we know and love. I know that now. Please forgive me for being an idiot, and please stop staying away. I miss you Jess."

"I miss you too" Jessie choked, her face buried in Piper's shoulder. Her Grandmother hugged her tighter and rubbed her back, murmuring nonsense words as tears slipped down Jessie's cheeks.

"I love you, my darling girl."

"Love you too Gran" Jessie muttered. Piper laughed in relief, pulling back and brushing the tears away.

"So you'll start coming over again?" she asked hopefully. Jessie smiled shyly and nodded.

"Good. Now how about you go talk to that poor boy, hmm?"

"Matt? Ah, no Gran, I'm fine" Jessie said hurriedly as she sniffed. Piper frowned.

"He came to the birthday party of a person he doesn't really know to see you Jessie. The least you can do is talk to him!"

Jessie groaned. She hated being guilt tripped!

"Fine" she muttered. "But he didn't come for me."

"Then why else is he here?"

Jessie didn't have an answer for that. She scowled and turned towards the stairs.

"Jessie? I'll teach you my lasagne next week?"

"Sure Gran" Jessie answered with a happy smile. Piper smiled back and Jessie walked out of the dining room. Matt and Jack were on the stairs, wrapping them in crepe paper. Matt met her gaze steadily.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Jessie sniffed again and wiped her cheeks.

"Fine" she said shortly. Jack shifted.

"I'll just… go back into the kitchen" she said, hopping down the stairs. She rubbed her cousins arm as she walked past, which Jessie reacted to with a frosty glare. Jack shrugged at the look, before grinning, as if to say _it's for your own good._

When the younger girl had gone, Jessie turned to the interloper and opened her mouth, but Matt cut her off.

"I did come for you" he blurted. He flushed when he realized what he'd said, but held her gaze. Jessie snorted.

"Excuse me if I don't believe that" she muttered. Matt sighed.

"Look, I was just a little overwhelmed, that's all. I thought I needed time to sort out what I was feeling."

"And I suppose you have now?" Jessie scorned. He nodded.

"Yeah. You see, I didn't really need all that much time after all. I knew how I felt all along."

"Yeah, I know how you felt as well! You've made that abundantly clear, starting with that kiss! If that made you realize that you didn't want me after all, you just had to say so! You didn't need to suddenly drop me out of nowhere! I like you Matt, a lot, and that hurt! I thought you were a nicer person then that, but I guess I was wrong!"

Matt's eyes widened. "What? Jessie, I liked that kiss! More than you know!"

"Then why did you treat me like a leper afterwards?!" Jessie cried.

"Because I didn't like the way I kissed you! I grabbed you roughly, unexpectedly, and planted it on you, giving you no choice! I don't know exactly what happened between you and that prick, but whatever it was, there was a sexual element to it! I was afraid I'd scared you, and I could have killed myself for it!"

Jessie's jaw dropped. He thought he'd scared her? Why hadn't she thought of that?

"No, no! Mat… that kiss. That kiss didn't scare me. At all. You're right, I was a little, ah, jumpy I guess you could say. But that kiss made me realize I had no need to be. What he did… that kiss pushed it back. It didn't erased it, more… reduced its significance. A lot. It helped me. Just like you being there for me helped me, more then you could know."

"I helped you?" Matt breathed. Jessie nodded.

"You showed me that what Wyatt did didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. You showed me that I could move on from it. I was hoping to move on to you, but you pulled away so far, it was like there was an ocean between us."

Matt stood silent for a long length of time. "Jessie?"

"Yes?" she whispered.

"If I kissed you now, would you push me away?"

Jessie grinned. "No."

Matt was down the stairs like a shot. Jessie laughed at his speed as he stopped inches away from her. His eyes were burning.

"So you forgive me for a complete ass, as Vic called me the other day?"

"Maybe" Jessie teased. Matt sighed and shook his head.

"Well, I'll just have to convince you."

Then his lips were on her, sending delicious little shivers through her blood as they moved over hers. The kiss was gentle and slow, thorough, the complete opposite to their first kiss, but Jessie wasn't complaining. She just threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

~0~

The two of them sat the next hour or so, just talking, until it became obvious that all the guests had arrived and that they were being missed. They walked through the fully decorated house and out the back door, into the bright sunshine, hand in hand. Jessie flushed when they stepped outside and Vic looked up from laughing with his father. A very large grin spread across his face when he saw their joined hands. He cheered loudly, winking at the new couple.

"Woohoo! So the boy manned up! Finally!"

"Shut up Vicky!" Jessie chuckled as they walked over to join them. "I've got a bone to pick with you anyway. Didn't I tell you not to talk to him?"

Vic shrugged, his grin not fading in the least. "Hey, someone had to do it!" He turned to meet Matt's gaze and raised his eyebrows.

"And if he hurts you again, he may not live to regret it" he said.

Matt blinked, not sure if he was serious or not, but Jessie just laughed.

"Ha! I'd like to see that! Didn't you end up on your ass the last time your tried to punch someone?"

"He may have, but I know what I'm doing" Chris muttered darkly, his bottle green eyes on the boy holding his little girls hand. Matt swallowed hard and Jessie scowled at her father.

"Just saying" Chris said.

"And very well said" Maxwell said in a satisfied tone from behind them, Laura right next to him. Jessie spun round, dropping Matt's hand, and glared at him.

"Shut up you! You've got your own father issues to deal with!" she growled, nodding over at Andrew, who was standing at the other end of the yard with his arms crossed, sending his own glare at the joined hands of Maxwell and Laura. Maxwell blanched.

"Point taken" he said as Laura giggled. Jessie turned back to her brother and father, taking Matt's hand again.

"Matt isn't going to hurt me, so you can all just calm down!"

"Well said daughter" Lindsey said as she walked up to them. "But if he does…"

Jessie let out a short scream, sounding very much like steam coming out of a kettle. Everyone paused for a second before laughter filled the air, Matt included, albeit warily. Jessie sighed.

"God, I hate this family" she groaned.

Vic chuckled and threw his arm around her neck. "Nah, you love us Jessica!"

"Maybe" Jessie muttered and Matt smiled, squeezing her hand.

"I won't hurt her" he said quietly and with that very simple sentence, he managed to convince the lot of them. Jessie smiled widely.

"I agree. Jessie will probably hurt him instead" Vic said and yelped when his sister hit him over the back of the head. He rubbed it and frowned, before his eyes lit up like a christmas tree.

"CAKE!" he shouted, sprinting off across the yard towards Piper, who was carrying a lit birthday cake out the back door, Kat and Paris behind her. His sister and the rest followed more leisurely.

"Come on, birthday girl, time to make a wish" Jessie said, taking Laura by the hand and dragging her over to the table. Laura flushed when the guests crowded around.

"Don't you dare sing happy birthday" she warned, chuckling when Vic whined.

"Awww! But that's the best part!"

She grinned and closed her eyes briefly before opening them again and blowing out the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered and Laura laughed happily.

"What did you wish for?" Jessie asked.

Laura looked thoughtful, her gaze on Maxwell as he chattered with his mother and Lindsey while Piper cut and dispensed the cake. Her eyes glinted and she pursed her lips.

"Oh, screw it" she muttered, striding over to Maxwell, taking his chin in her hand, turning it towards her and kissing him firmly.

Jessie laughed and clapped her hands, Vic echoing her as he catcalled and wolf-whistled, while Mel, Paige, Kat, Jack, Wyatt, Riley, Chris and Ben all hooted and pumped their fists. Lindsey and Holly smiled, everyone else chuckling and shaking their heads. The recipient of the kiss froze for a second before his hand went to Laura's hip and he drew her against him, quickly getting into the spirit and kissing her back. Laura laughed against his mouth, stepped back and pecked him on the lips twice.

"Just wanted to make sure my wish came true" she said with a grin before walking back towards Jessie. Her cousin raised her hand and Laura slapped it as Max stared after her in wonder.

"Well played my friend" Jessie told her.

"Thanks" Laura said, still grinning as she took a piece of cake from Piper, who was shaking her head indulgently.

"Did you maybe think to warn him that he might need to run?" she said, her scarred brow raised. Jessie and Vic looked in the direction her head was indicating and cringed.

"_Umm, Maxwell? Max? Maxwell!"_

"_Huh? What?"_

"_Snap out of it Maxy boy! You better be wearing a good pair of shoes!"_

Max frowned. _"What? Why?"_

"_Because Uncle Andrew doesn't look too happy with you at the moment!"_

Maxwell's head shot over to the mortal, and he blanched again. Andrew indeed did not look happy. He was scowling darkly, his jaw clenching. He began to walk toward the Londoner, his fists balled.

"_But she kissed me!"_

"_Doesn't mean a thing bro. You, a guy in his thirties, laid your lips on his 18-year-old daughter. You better get to running!"_

"_Ah, yeah, I'll just…"_

He took a couple of stepped back, trying to sneak away without being noticed. It didn't work. Andrew just picked up speed.

"_Oh, God…"_

"_Run, brother, run!" _Vic yelled and Jessie laughed as Maxwell did just that.

"_Welcome to the family, Maxwell!" _she called after him cheekily as he shot back into the house, Andrew hot on his heels.

The End.

* * *

**A/N - Well, that's it. A huge thank you to everyone who followed through this story, and to my reviewers, I send you my most gracious thanks! You all are truly the best! :D**


	21. Extra One - Aftermath

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N – Okay, so by request, I have decided to add a couple of 'extra' chapters – let's think of them as scenes from the cutting room floor, though they don't actually happen during the story, but rather after, at different points in time. This is the first of three, each focusing on a particular aspect of the original story, and this one take place six months after Laura's birthday. I hope you all enjoy! Oh, and a part of this chapter may have a very light M rating, just as a warning! :D**

**Extra One – Aftermath**

* * *

Pain. Such a simple word with a not-so-simple meaning. Whether it be mental, emotional or physical, this simple word can have long-standing, and long-suffering, consequences. And Jessie Halliwell was in the middle of one of those consequences right at that very moment.

She twisted and turned in her bed, sweating running down her forehead as she tried to escape the terror running through her mind. Small, desperate whimpers escaped her mouth, her body shuddering. Her back arched up off the mattress, her lips pulling back against her teeth as she whined in agony. Her eyes moved rapidly behind her closed eyelids, the sounds escaping her steadily becoming hoarser as she screamed inside her head.

**Her body jerked and seized as the electricity flowed along the metal bars, running over and through her repeatedly.**

Jessie whimpered again, the sound coming out in a guttural growl. She twisted to the side, her breathing escaping in pants.

**The harsh, high-pitched screams poured from her, ringing off the walls as pain unlike anything she'd ever imagined pulsed through her body in waves.**

Her eyes sprang open and she gazed up at the ceiling unseeingly, her hands clawing at the mattress as she fought with all her might to pull herself out of the dream. She knew she was dreaming. She also knew that it wouldn't let her go until it decided to.

**She screamed. And screamed and screamed. The fire was alive. There were glass shards slicing into her constantly, and flames were crawling out of the cuts and burning her up until there was nothing left. Until she was nothing. Her skin was dripping off her, to be replaced by fire. She was a human torch. **

The pain bloomed and spread, rocketing through her, until she couldn't feel anything else. Until her mind couldn't process it anymore, and took the only way out. It ejected her from her nightmare forcibly.

Her eyes closed and then shot open again, a scream dying a gurgling death in her throat as her body jack-knifed up in the bed. She gasped hard, her eyes zooming around the dark room, searching for her attacker. But he wasn't there. He was dead.

By her own hand.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jessie began to identify with her surroundings. She screwed her eyes shut tight and drew her legs up to hug her knees, resting her forehead against them as she tried to stop herself from shaking. Her heart ran rampant in her chest, constricting her breathing and squeezing her lungs, until she almost couldn't take it anymore. She bit her bottom lip hard.

_Jesus, Jesus. Come on Jessie! Get it together! You had enough sense not to scream aloud, you have enough sense to calm yourself down! Do you want the Olds and Vic storming the room? Snap out of it! Oh God. God! It's over, it's over! _

No matter how hard she told herself that it was only a dream, that it was in the past, she could stop the panic attack that was very quickly overtaking her. She soon realized that needed someone else to do that for her. Someone to help settle her down, prove that this was reality and that she wasn't still stuck in the God-awful cave, being tortured by a look-alike of her favourite Uncle.

She knew she needed that from someone, but she also knew she couldn't, _she couldn't, _go to her parents or her twin for it. It had been seven months since the vanquish of Evil Wyatt, and Jessie was trying with everything she had to give the impression that she'd moved past it.

Her kidnapping and resulting torture had been a torment for her entire family, and she knew both her parents and Vic still felt guilty over not being able to prevent it happening. It hurt them every time she had a nightmare or flashback, and the last thing Jessie wanted to do was hurt her family.

She'd instinctively held back her screams when she woke up, not wanting to alert the other members of the household that she was in the throes of a nightmare _again_. But with the way her panic was escalating, she also knew that if she didn't do something, find the comfort that she hated to admit that she needed, soon, they'd become aware of it anyway.

And that couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it happen.

A face swam behind her still closed eyes, and Jessie didn't give herself the chance to think. It was the only option. _He_ was the only option.

She orbed.

~0~

In the darkness, the room she materialized in was all but identical to the one she'd left. But unlike hers, there was a body occupying the bed, buried under the covers, his breathing steady and calm. He was asleep.

Or least she thought he was, until he somehow stirred. Jessie's breath continued to escape her in sharp little huffs, the sound harsh in the silent room. Her terrified eyes were focused on him, so she saw the instant he realized he was no longer alone.

He froze, and Jessie knew she should say something, let him know that she wasn't a demon or warlock, and that he wasn't in any danger. But she couldn't get the words past the very solid object that seemed to have lodged itself in her throat.

She made a tiny sound of frustration, her head whirling as the lack of air began to have adverse effects, and Matt sat up in bed, his head turning towards her to reveal a confused frown.

"Jessie?"

She couldn't answer. She couldn't swallow. She couldn't _breathe!_

"Jessie? What's wrong? Are you oka- _Christ!"_

He threw himself out of bed as her legs suddenly gave out on her. If she'd been able think past her panic, she would have goggled. She hadn't realized he could move that fast. He was at her side in an instant.

His hands came up to grip her shoulders, stopping her from crumbling completely. Both his face and voice urgent, he gently drew her towards him, his head ducked as he tried to look in her eyes.

"Jessie? Jessie, Jessie. What's wrong, sweet?! Are you hurt?! Do you want me to call your Mom?! Or Vic?!"

"_No!"_ she managed to force out. "No… please… can't… breathe…"

"Okay, okay" he said as she tried to pull away from him in agitation. "Okay, fine. You can't breathe? Well, that'll be because you aren't letting yourself Jess. Come on now, deep breathes. In and out. Come on Jessie, breathe with me!"

He reached out and jerked her chin up, his gaze clashing with hers. Her breath stuttered, and inside his chest, Matt's heart pounded with fear. He'd never seen her like this. It terrified him to see such a strong girl brought to her knees.

But he didn't let that show. He just took deep, even breathes, praying she would copy him, his heart steadying a little as she gradually did just that.

"Breathe Jessie. In, out. In… that's it… and out. Good. Good girl. In… and out."

They sat on the floor like that for a good five minutes, breathing together, and finally the panic attack receded, the lingering pain and fear from her nightmare leaving with it. Jessie didn't look away once. She used him eyes, those beautiful, burning eyes, as a touchstone, to bring her back to herself.

And as she came back, two very strong emotions came back with her.

Embarrassment. A lot of embarrassment.

And shame.

She hated_, _she absolutely _hated _that she wasn't strong enough to deal with the nightmare, and the resulting panic attack, on her own. She didn't have many of them, at least not ones this strong. Usually she could calm herself down, but the others had been nothing compared to this one.

This one knocked her for a six. And she didn't like that one bit.

"Better?" Matt murmured, reaching up to brush back her sweat-slicked hair. She nodded silently, looking down and breaking eye contact.

"Sorry" she whispered, studying her hands.

"Whatever for? It's part of my job" Matt joked softly. He sighed in relief when a ghost of a smile crossed his girlfriend's face. "Come on, you're shivering."

He stood up and gently drew her to her feet. Jessie was too caught up in her own head to realize where he was leading her until he pushed the bedcovers back further. She blinked.

"Ah…" she said, her face flushing. Beside her, Matt chuckled.

"I really don't think you're in a state to be ravished at the moment, Jessica" he said dryly. "Come on, get in. You'll feel better when you're warm."

Jessie shut down her confusion and embarrassment and did as she was told, sliding in under the covers. She was unable to stop herself from stiffening slightly when Matt climbed in beside her, put his arms around her and drew her back against him, until they were spooning.

"Relax, Jessie. You're safe here" he whispered. Jessie took a deep breath and willed her body to unwind, the warmth aiding in easing her tension. She sighed.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" Matt murmured, his arms tightening round her when she stiffened again.

"It's okay, you don't have to" he said quickly. Jessie frowned. She had come to him after all. She could at least give him an explanation.

"It was just a nightmare" she muttered. Her body relaxed again when Matt leaned forward and rested his forehead against her back. She shivered when she felt his lips brush against her singlet, the heat from them seeping through the material, into her skin.

"About… him?" he whispered. They both knew who 'him' was. She hesitated and then nodded.

"And the panic attack?" he questioned, his voice still no louder than a whisper. Jessie turned her head into the pillow.

"They're usually not that bad" she mumbled.

Matt didn't say anything for a long time after that. She knew he was processing. She let him, and let her own mind drift, sleep creeping up on her, until he brought her back out of it.

"You need to talk to someone Jessie."

"No I don't" she said automatically. "I'm fine."

"Fine? Yes, that's why you came to me, to talk you through a pretty severe panic attack in the middle of the night" he said. His arms tightened again when she stiffened once more, and tried to pull away.

"Of course, that led to me having you in my bed, so I'm really not complaining" he murmured against her back. He held his breath when she stilled, letting it out in a sharp puff when he felt her silent laughter.

"But you do need to talk to someone, sweet. Someone other than your parents or Vic, Maxwell or Laura, though I'm not sure you're even talking to them, are you?"

"It hurts them. I just want them to forget about it and move on" she whispered, still against the pillow. Matt sighed.

"They'll only do that when you do Jessie. You hurting is the reason they're hurting. They love you."

_As do I, _he thought, but he wasn't going to tell her that yet. She wasn't ready.

"If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for them. So they can really, truly, put it behind them."

Jessie scowled. He knew her far too well. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist putting her family's needs before her own. Goddamn hero complex.

He shifted closer, his face coming up to bury in the crook of her neck.

"At least think about it Jessie" he mumbled. "Promise me you will."

She turned her head slightly, her nose brushing against his cheek. She sighed as contentment settled over her, the very last bit of darkness fading away.

"I promise" she whispered. Matt lifted his head and laid his lips softly on hers; nibbling slightly, before turning his face back into her shoulder.

"Good. Now go to sleep woman. Don't you realize you woke me up in the middle of the night?"

Jessie chuckled, turned over and settled down on the pillow, her eyes closing. Matt had really opened up these past few months. She'd liked who he'd been before, but she was very close to falling in love with whom the disappearance of his shyness had turned him into.

~0~

Jessie woke slowly. She was warm. Very warm. Almost too warm. But she couldn't bring herself to move. As the events of the night before played back in her mind, she sighed and snuggled in closer to the overwhelming warmth at her back.

Matt's arms were still circling her. He'd been there for her when she'd needed him, and he hadn't let go all night. Jessie wasn't a girly girl, but even _her_ heart sang at that fact. She could feel his breath puffing over her cheek, as well as sense him slowly coming back to consciousness.

She could feel something else as well, making her frown. Something was poking her in the back. What was that? She wiggled, trying to figure out what it was.

Her frown deepened when Matt's breath suddenly hitched, before escaping in a long, drawn out hiss.

"Jessie. Jesus. Stop. Don't move, please!"

Her eyes widened at his pained, almost desperate groaning. There'd been only one other part of their relationship where he'd spoken like that. He usually ended up pushing her away and speaking in that tone when they were…

Jessie suddenly realized exactly what was poking her in the back.

She couldn't stop the giggle that burst out of her. She'd never actually felt the evidence of his desire before, as they usually didn't go much past kissing. Up until now, she hadn't realized she _could_ cause such a reaction. It was a hell of an ego boost to find out she could.

Her body shook as she tried to hold back her laughter, which didn't make the situation any easier for her boyfriend. He groaned in her ear, muttering darkly, before reaching out and drawing her chin round.

"Are you laughing at me Jessica?"

"Yes" she smirked. "I would have thought that was as obvious as… well, other things."

She laughed again as he scowled at her, her glee making her multi-coloured eyes shine with happiness. Matt growled playfully, his head zipping forward so he could fasten his lips over hers, making his girlfriend's laughter die instantly.

Which was the point.

He soon forgot the point though, as Jessie eagerly kissed him back, opening her mouth and inviting him in. They battled for dominance for a bit, stroking keenly, before Matt groaned and pulled back, raining kisses over face, neck and collarbone, only pausing to nip and suck. One of the hands that still circled her waist fell away, to rest on her thigh that was left bare by her pyjama shorts.

Jessie froze when he gently began to graze his fingers over her skin, getting higher each time. She pulled back and stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Matt…?"

"O-only, ah, only if you're ready."

She gasped at his soft – and incredibly sexy – rough little whisper. Was she…?

Her mouth opened slightly, her heavy eyelids dropping, as she tried to absorb the unbelievable sensations coursing through her at the movement of her boyfriend's hand. He was getting closer and closer, higher, so very near. And she found herself not pushing him away. She moaned quietly and very slowly leaned forward, pressing her hips back against him in the process. Matt's eyes deepened and burned at the movement, his magnificently hot look making her burn as well as he copied her. Their mouths met, hips pressing, as Matt's other hand began creeping up over her stomach, brushing tentatively against her-

"_JESSICA CHARLOTTE HALLIWELL, JUST WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"_

Jessie gasped and instinctively shot backwards, scrambling out of the bed, as Vic's scandalised shout echoed through her lust-fogged brain.

"_YOU ARE NOT… YOU ARE SO NOT! GET HOME NOW! THAT IS NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO WAKE UP TO! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING OVER THERE?! I SHOULD TAN YOUR HIDE LITTLE MISSY!"_

"_If you don't get out of my head this instant Victor, I'll tear off your balls and shove them down your throat!"_

"_Oohh, feisty! You better get home before Dad finds you gone! And before I come over there and tear off someone _else's _balls!"_

Jessie sighed at his growl. _"Fine, I'm on my way! Now leave me alone!"_

"_Don't take too long, sister dear!"_

She scowled, her eyes going to the bed, where her sexy-as-hell boyfriend was lying, blinking up at her dazedly.

"I have to go. Vic, ah…" she mouth twisted into a grimace. Matt's eyes widened as he realized what she was getting at.

"What? Oh, God. That boy seriously needs to learn to respect your privacy" he groaned, falling onto his back and rubbing his face with his hands.

"Yes. I do believe it's time to establish some boundaries" she muttered grumpily. She walked over, leaned down and kissed him briefly.

"We'll finish this… another time" she murmured against his lips, laughing and pulling back when he reached for her.

"_Jes-si-caaa!"_

"_I'm coming!"_

"_Good, good. Just as long as he isn't."_

"_OH MY GOD! LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

She groaned, walked over and began to bang her head against the wall as his laughter filled her mind. She only stopped when Matt chuckled and pulled her back.

"Maybe you better go" he suggested, the bedspread wrapped tightly around his waist. She sighed at the knowledge of _why _the bedspread was wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Yeah. Besides, your parents are home I presume."

Matt's eyes widened comically and he winced.

"Oh. Yeah, definitely another time" he said hurriedly, making Jessie grin. He gripped her shoulders and looked at her, his gaze serious.

"You will think about it, won't you? Talking to Chris and Lindsey, and then going to see someone else?"

"I said I would" she grumbled as she rolled her eyes. She sighed when he frowned at her. "Yes, Matt, I will. Don't worry."

He smiled in relief and shrugged. "Can't help it" he said, making her smile as well. She raised her hand and rested it against his cheek.

"Thank you" she whispered. "For last night. For being there for me."

"Like I said, it's my job" he said with a grin. Jessie laughed and he drew her forward into his arms.

"And it's a job I wouldn't give up for the world" he murmured in her ear. Jessie sighed against his shoulder. "Now, you better go, before Vic makes a personal appearance."

"I'm going" she said, pulling back. "And if he does, I'll make sure he ends up regretting it."

"Get in line" Matt muttered, his grin wide as she orbed away, her cheerful laughter trailing behind her.


	22. Extra Two - Misunderstanding

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**Quick A/N – Okay, so we're jumping forward in time a bit in this one. This takes place half way through Laura's first year at Oxford and she's now 19-years-old. Enjoy!**

**Extra Two - Misunderstanding**

* * *

Even though the sun shone brightly, it was a false brightness that offered no warmth. Laura hunched down in her coat and scarf, shivering as she quickly crossed the campus. This was supposed to be summer? England didn't know the definition of summer! If this was the temperature she had to deal with during the hottest part of the year, she couldn't imagine how she was going to survive winter!

_Maybe I just won't get out of bed? Yeah, there's a good idea! Burrowing under the covers all day is definitely preferable to this! Especially since I'll be alone…_

There was no wind, but her bones still ached with the cold. Her head was down in defence, so she didn't see the figure standing in front of her until she almost ran into him.

"Whoa there Lau, I'm know I'm irresistible, but you don't need to knock me over to get to me!"

Laura's head shot up at the laughing tease. The deep British accent sent shivers down her spine and heated her blood. Her face broke into a wide smile as she met the most beautiful pair of bottle-green eyes she'd ever seen.

"Maxwell! You're back!" she shouted as she dropped her books and threw her arms around her boyfriend. Maxwell chuckled at her exuberant display.

"That I am love," he said as he bent slightly and pulled her against him, hugging her tightly. He sighed as Laura buried her face into his neck.

"I've missed you," she murmured. And she really had. A lot more then she thought she would.

She'd been pleased when he told her that he was going to take some time off and go spend a week or so in her home town. The last time Laura had spoken to her best friend, she'd picked up on the fact that Jessie was having a hard time. She'd finally opened up to her parents regarding her nightmares a few months back, and after a lot of convincing, she'd eventually caved and agreed to go talk to someone about them and the panic attacks they were bringing with them.

Laura had known she was having trouble moving past that time in her life. Jessie hadn't told her – she hadn't told anyone. It was only because she'd ended up at Matt's after one, one night, and her boyfriend had talked her into going to Uncle Chris and Aunt Lindsey, that she was now getting the help she needed. But Laura had known anyway. When she'd brought it up with her Mom, Kat had said that it probably had something to do with her Whitelighter blood. Jessie was her best friend, had been since they were babies. It made sense that she had a tiny bit of a connection with her.

So when she'd spoken to the witch last, Laura had picked up on the undercurrent, and had suggested to Maxwell that maybe he might enjoy a visit. He'd jumped at the idea and had left two weeks ago. If Laura hadn't been right in the middle of an important assignment, she would have gone with him.

"Missed you too," Maxwell muttered. He pulled back and smiled at her. "Are you done for the day?"

"My lectures are, I was just going to head to Wally's and study," she answered. Maxwell's smile widened.

"Want company?" he asked. Laura raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to help me study?" she questioned with a grin. Maxwell snorted.

"As if. I couldn't understand even half of that mumbo jumbo. But I'm pretty good at distracting though," he hinted eagerly, waggling his eyebrows.

Laura pretended to think about it, only conceded when Maxwell pouted. She was surprised once again about how much of Vic she saw in his eyes when he pulled that expression. They may not be blood related – or at least very, very, _very _distantly – but they were still brothers. She laughed.

"Of course you can come, you big buffoon! As if I'd let you do otherwise! I haven't seen you in two weeks!"

Maxwell grinned, wrinkles hugging the corner of his eyes, and Laura frowned. It reminded her that they would eventually have to talk. She'd been putting off this convo for a long time, and Laura knew that if she didn't air it, it would just build in significance until it blotted everything else out.

_But not right now,_ she thought as Maxwell picked up her books, took her hand and smiled at her.

_Not tonight._

~0~

"So how's Vic and everyone?" Laura asked as they ordered drinks and had them delivered. The diner was busy, but not too busy. Even if it had have been, they still would have gotten a table. They were some of Wally's favourite customers.

"He's good. Still head over heels for Angelica. The boy just won't give up, no matter how many times she shoots him down."

Laura chuckled. "And that'll be the reason, at least at first. Vic isn't used to hearing no. He was always very popular. Leeca turning her nose up at him would have just spurred him on."

"Yeah, well, I hope he eventually sees more than that. I get the impression Angelica's only still turning him down because she thinks he's only interested in the chase."

"Reallllly?" Laura mused, drawing out the word. Well this was a nice little bit of news. She knew for a fact that Vic was interested in more than just chasing the young Seer. Jessie and she had spent a long night on the phone, discussing just that. Vic liked Angelica a_ lot_. He just didn't know how to show it.

When everything's a joke, it's hard to be serious.

And even harder to be taken seriously.

Frankly, she was surprised Maxwell didn't know that already. Though it sort of did make sense that he didn't, the three of them had been working hard on developing boundaries, Maxwell especially. Vic and Jessie had been in each other's head their whole lives. They were used to sharing everything. Not so in Maxwell's case.

"Chris and Lindsey are good; Chris still has his nose out of joint about Matt and Jessie moving in together. Can't say I blame him," Maxwell muttered, frowning in disapproval. Laura rolled her eyes.

"She's nearly 19, he already is. They're of age, they're both in college and neither have much money, so this saves on bills. Plus, they really love each other," she said, ticking the points off on her fingers. Maxwell scowled and she patted his hand sympathetically.

"I know she's your little sister hun, but both you and Uncle Chris have to accept that she's not a kid anymore, just like Dad had to do with me. Unfortunately, she stopped being a kid the instant you two were kidnapped."

_So did I, _she thought, and then shook it away. So did a lot of the youngest generation. That event had led to a lot of consequences.

"How's Jessie doing?" she asked softly. Her concern rang through, and Maxwell smiled at her, reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"She's… coping. She was going through a hard patch of counselling when you spoke to her. She's definitely a lot better than she was. She's focusing a lot on the Craft and her Chemistry studies – as well as spending a fair bit of time with Jack. The things those two have come up with… it's scary at times. Anyway, it takes her mind off things and Jack doesn't treat her like she's made of glass. I guess that's because she's knows what it's like. She just treats her like a friend, cousin and fellow intelligent witch – like you do actually. It also means she's spending more time with Wyatt, which helps as well. It's good for her."

"So she's getting there?" Laura questioned in relief. She'd been worried. Maxwell squeezed her hand again.

"Yes, she's getting there. I managed to drag Vic away from Angelica and we sat down with Chris and Lindsey. Jessie wouldn't have been happy if she knew we had a discussion about her, but I needed to know. I left with the impression that she was slowly moving past it, so I was quite happy to come back home."

He smiled at her again, reached up a hand and brushed his fingers over her cheek.

"Back to you."

Laura flushed and smiled shyly, moving into his hand until he was cupping her cheek. The things she felt for this man… she'd never known this depth of emotion could exist. He was her world without overtaking her world. It was close to perfect.

Maxwell smiled for a third time, leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers before sitting back and sipping his coffee.

"So, Mum and Dad have invited us over for tea tonight if you're interested," he said. Laura raised an eyebrow. His tone clearly said he wasn't.

"You don't want to go?" she queried.

"Well, yeah, of course I do, but it's my first night back." A rather rakish grin spread across his features, his green eyes heating. "I thought we could maybe stay in tonight."

Laura swallowed and flushed again as her heart kicked up a gear. Oh, yes. Most definitely staying in tonight.

"I think I can handle that," she murmured with a coy glance, smiling smugly when she saw his eyes glaze over. "Ben and Holly can wait, I'm sure they-"

"Max? It _is_ you! Wow, long-time-no-see, Mr Sexy!"

Laura's head shot round at the seductive purr, catching out the corner of her eye the way Maxwell froze at the interrupting voice. He blinked a couple of time before slowly turning to meet the deep brown eyes of the woman standing very close beside him. As Laura's gaze ran over the interloper, she couldn't help thinking that 'woman' wasn't a strong enough word to describe this creature.

She wasn't very tall, probably didn't reach any higher than 5ft 2, but that just emphasized the dynamite figure she had. She was all breast and hip, with a large amount of curvature in between. She had a posh, upper-class British accent, and she looked to be in her early thirties with short, curly, dirty-blond hair and full, pouty lips that were currently glistening with red-hot lipstick. Her jet-black brows were perfectly arched and she even had a Marilyn-esk mole sitting daintily, right above her top lip.

She had the body and look of a Goddess in human form, instantly making Laura feel inadequate. Though her boyish figure had improved the older she got, there was no way in hell long and lean could compete with packed and lush.

Laura wouldn't have minded all that, she was confident enough in herself to brush aside her momentary feeling of shortfall, if the woman hadn't been acting like a cat in heat.

And if Maxwell hadn't been acting like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Sara," Maxwell said, his face paling and something Laura couldn't read passing through his eyes, "Ah, hey. What… what are you doing here?"

"Just a flying visit, Muscles. Checking out some real estate by Blackwell's Bookstore. You still live in London, right?"

"Yes…" Maxwell answered, trailing off and glancing at Laura before quickly looking back again. Laura swallowed as a heavy, dark weight settled in her stomach. Who was this woman?

"Oh, that's fantastic!" the woman cried, clapping her hands in excitement. "It just gives me one more reason to snatch up that building!" She leaned down and all but breathed in his ear.

"I'm sure you can show me around if I do, can't you?"

Laura's mouth fell open. The audacity of the woman! She'd ignored Laura from the moment she'd walked up to the table, but this… this was unbelievable! It was clear that Maxwell was with someone!

Or at least it was to her. Maxwell wasn't going out of his way give that impression. Laura frowned, that deep weight getting heavier. Who _was _she?

Maxwell's eyes widened at the woman's blatant come-on, his eyes once again flicking to Laura. This time the woman followed his gaze, and she jumped, as if realizing for the first time that they weren't alone.

"Oh, I'm sorry love. I didn't realize you were babysitting. Hi there sweetie, I'm Sara."

As she reached over and held out her hand – pushing her ample breast against Maxwell's arm in the process – Laura sucked in a sharp breathe. Babysitting? That bitch! She wasn't _that_ young!

"I'm not babysitting Sara," Maxwell said quietly, his eyes still unreadable. "This is Laura. My… girlfriend."

He'd paused. Laura closed her eyes as pain ripped through her. God. Who knew a simple pause could hurt so much?

"Oh dear. Oh, I'm so embarrassed. Of _course _she is. You always were a nice guy Max."

Laura's eyes snapped open and her irritated gaze clashed with malicious brown. How _dare _she? The woman knew exactly what she was saying, and exactly how sharp her barbs were. Everything she was saying was very deliberate.

And Maxwell wasn't saying anything in defence.

"Well, if you change your mind, my number's still the same. I best be going." She leaned down and brushed his cheek with her lips, lingering ever so slightly.

"See ya Sexy," she purred before standing back up, throwing Laura an arrogant smirk and stalking off.

~0~

"Who is she?" Laura asked the instant the woman was out of hearing range. Maxwell met her eyes warily.

"She isn't anyone. Don't worry about her," he said.

"She _is _someone Maxwell," Laura said softly. "You obviously mean something to her, just as she means something to you."

Maxwell's expression shut down so quickly, Laura gaped slightly.

"She doesn't mean anything to me. Look, can we not talk about this? I just want to spend some time with you."

Laura stared at him, her heart falling. He'd never refused to speak about something before. It was one of the reasons why their relationship was working. They'd taken it slowly, and anything and everything had been on the table.

They hadn't talked about a couple of very significant things all that much though. And that woman's visit had brought them right back to the front of Laura's mind.

"I want you to spend some time with me as well, but I don't think tonight's a good night," Laura said, gathering her books and standing up. Her head was spinning. She needed some time to herself, to try and sort everything out.

And to try and drown the sharp ache inside her heart.

"What? Why? Come on Lau! Stop letting your jealousy get the better of you!" Maxwell exclaimed as he got to his feet, a frown on his face. Laura froze on her way to the door. She took a deep, painful breath and looked back over her shoulder.

"My jealousy? How can I possibly be jealous if she means nothing to you Maxwell?" she questioned softly. She turned back round when she saw her words hit home, walking out without another word.

~0~

Laura sat on her bed, the room dark but for a single lamp, trying to get herself to focus. It was late evening and she'd been trying to study since she'd gotten home, but it just wasn't working. She knew why. It was the reason why she was desperately trying to study.

Who was she? What did she mean to Maxwell? And why wouldn't he tell Laura anything about her?

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She knew she shouldn't have walked out on him. She should have stayed and made him talk. But the way he had reacted to that woman, the look in his eyes… it had frightened her.

And she'd ran like that coward she was.

She could just imagine what Jessie would say if she knew. Or Vic for that matter. Hell, even Jack. Why couldn't she be more like them? Why the hell couldn't she grow some backbone?

_Maybe it's a good thing I decided to be a doctor instead of a full-blown witch. Demons and warlocks would probably just end up laughing at me._

_Well, if you know what you're doing wrong Lau, why are you still sitting on your ass? Stop cowering under the threat of Miss Plastic Fantastic, and go get your man!_

Laura sat up straight, a grin spreading across her face. That was exactly what Jessie would say if she were there. And she was exactly right. Whoever she was, she must not have meant much if neither Maxwell, Ben _or_ Holly had mentioned her. And Laura knew Maxwell talked about her all the time. Vic often complained about it.

She had just gotten off the bed, with every intention of orbing to London, when the air vibrated. Her eyes widened as Maxwell appeared, his gaze wandering the dark room.

"Lau? Are you here?"

"Yes," she said quietly. Maxwell's body whipped in her direction and he squinted.

"Why do you only have the bedside lamp on?" he asked.

Laura shrugged. "I felt like the dark. Besides, I still have enough light to study by."

"Only just. You'll hurt your eyes doing that," he grumbled. Laura rolled said eyes as he walked over to hit the main switch, blinking when the room flooded.

Maxwell turned back round to look at her, their gazes connecting. Neither moved. Laura sighed. He'd obviously come for a reason, though it didn't seem like he was going to speak anytime soon.

So, deciding that if someone didn't get the ball rolling, they'd stand on either side of the room all night, staring at each other, Laura asked the question he should have answered the first time she'd asked.

"Who is she?"

Maxwell's mouth twisted. "She really isn't anyone Laura."

She shook her head. "She spoke to you with a lot of familiarity, she treated me horribly, like she saw me as competition, and most importantly, you froze up and shut down the moment she arrived. Who is she?"

Maxwell sighed, walked over and took her hand, leading her towards the bed. As they both sat down, Laura's heart began to pound.

"Her name is Sara Catherine Emmeline Marks. She's the Granddaughter of Simon Marks and we went to Newcastle together."

"You were high school sweethearts?" she hedged. Maxwell let out a short laugh.

"There was nothing 'sweetheartish' about us Lau. Yes, we were together, for a number of years, but it was on/off and it was really only about one thing."

Laura grimaced. "Sex."

He nodded. "Yeah. I was a teenager and she, well…"

"I get it. If she looked like that in high school, I definitely get it."

Maxwell let out another half laugh. "I didn't. At least not what I should have. Both Mum and Dad warned me, said she was only going after me because of my Projection, but I wouldn't listen."

"Another very teenagey thing," Laura said with a small smile.

He smiled back. "That it is. So we got together, and she used her feminine wiles to draw me in."

"She'd have a lot of them," Laura muttered. Maxwell smiled and lifted her hand to place a gentle kiss on it.

"As I said, we were very on/off. But she made enough of an impression that by the time we graduated, she had me very firmly wrapped around her little finger."

Laura's heart stuttered. "You… loved her?"

"No, love. I thought I did though. At the time, I thought she was 'the one'. Enough that I went to Dad and asked for my Grandmother's ring."

He squeezed her hand when she went still. "He, of course, said no, and we had a major barney over it. I stormed out, went right over to Sara's for a well-deserved rant, and caught her in the throes with her flatmate."

He smiled a crooked smile. "Needless to say, we broke up, for good this time, as I finally realized that she really was a lot like her Grandfather and only wanted to add my magic to the bloodline. That was the last time I saw her before this afternoon."

Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. "Okay, so if this happened so long ago, why did you act like I was a dirty little secret today?"

Maxwell's eyes widened. "Is that what you thought? That I didn't want her to know?"

"You paused."

Maxwell frowned. "What?"

"You paused. Right before you said I was your girlfriend. Like you were a-ashamed of m-me."

Her head went down as her voice broke, and she tried to tug her hands out of his grip. Maxwell wouldn't let her. He gasped and jerked her forward, his arms wrapping around her.

"Oh, love, no. No, no, no! I could _never _be ashamed of you! I was just so mixed up with memories and old, dead feeling when I saw her, that I let them get the better of me! I'm so sorry for that, and I'm sorry about the way I let her talk to you. It was appalling! Anyway, why would you ever think I was ashamed of you?"

"Because I'm so much younger then you," Laura murmured against his chest, bringing up one of the subjects that they hardly ever talked about. Maxwell sighed and lifted her chin.

"Laura McKenzie Murphy, I _do not_ care that you are younger than me. Maybe I did at first, but then I got to know you. It became a non-issue pretty quickly after that."

"Then why don't we talk about it? That, and the reincarnation thing, never get brought up. Everything else, but never those," Laura whispered.

He frowned again. "I can only speak for myself, but I never bring them up because they aren't relevant anymore. Age is only a number Lau. And the reincarnation thing? That was never even an issue in the first place, at least not for me."

He brushed her hair back, lingering on the skin of her neck. "The blood running through my veins is not related to yours in any way. We got that checked remember? My biological parents aren't within your bloodline. They're not even close to it. You shouldn't be worrying about a life that passed on many years ago. It's best to only focus on the here and now, love."

Laura held his gaze for a moment before smiling, feeling her heart lighten slightly. The fact that they weren't issues for him made it a lot easier for her to believe that they really weren't anything to worry about. She sighed and laid her head against his chest. She was still troubled, but she was scared to bring it up.

"There's something else, isn't there? Something else that's bothering you," Maxwell murmured, reading her like a book. Laura hesitated before gathering her courage. She needed to know.

"Are you sure… ah, are you sure that those feelings for Sara are dead?"

She sprang back with an insulted scowl when Maxwell started laughing. She tried to get off his lap, only for him to pull her back.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for laughing, but that's an incredibly dumb question."

She tried to pull away again.

"No, stop! Laura, I'm sorry, but the thought, the thought that I could _ever _feel any strong emotion for her with you around… well it's laughable really."

That stopped her. She pulled back and searched his smiling eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, love, really. I told you I never loved her in the first place. I came to realize that after we broke up that final time, but it wasn't until I met you that it was completely confirmed."

He framed her face and rested his forehead against hers, taking a bracing breath.

"I thought she was 'the one'? I had no idea what 'the one' was until I met you, love. I had no clue what love was until I met and got to know the golden flame sitting on my lap right now. You're 'the one' Laura. You are the one I'll love for the rest of my life, my one and only. You're it for me, so you better stop doubting and get used to it. Fast."

Her heart was too big for her chest. It swelled and swelled until she felt like she was choking on it. His words filled her veins and surged hotly through her, filling her with the deepest joy she'd ever felt.

"I love you too," she whispered, the four simple words pulsing with solid belief and unbelievable happiness. He jerked her against him and buried his face in her hair.

"Oh, thank God. Why the bloody hell didn't I say that sooner?"

"Probably for the same reason I didn't," Laura laughed, her arms tight around him.

"Or maybe not. I'm not the one who was worried about age and bloodlines," he teased as he pulled back. Laura rolled her eyes before darting in and kissing him quickly.

"So," she said as she cocked her head to the side and ran her hands up his chest, her eyes seductive. "That staying in idea you had…"

Maxwell's own eyes heated and he leaned forward to brush his lips at the collar of her shirt. Laura shivered and leaned into his touch.

"What about it?" he rumbled, desire thick in his voice. Laura moaned softly as his teeth ran up her throat and nipped at her earlobe.

"I still think… ah! … I still think it's a good idea…"

"Do you just?" he groaned as she shifted on his lap, feeling something beginning to rise to meet her.

"Yeah. And you know what they say… ohhhh! …don't you?"

"What do they say?" Maxwell muttered, not really interested as he pushed her shirt up with his nose.

"Makeup sex is the best sex there is."

Maxwell's head shot up and he stared at her in surprise before a lecherous grin spread across his face.

"Well, we'll just have to prove that then, won't we?" he growled before leaping on her, her delighted laughter echoing through the room.


	23. Extra Three - Father and son

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**A/N – Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know this should have been up a week ago, but I lost my mojo, and got caught up in my other stories, and… well a lot of things really. But it's here now! On with it then!**

**Right, so we're jumping back in time in this last one. It's the day of the twins 18****th**** birthday. Please enjoy!**

**Extra three – Father and son**

* * *

Vic woke suddenly, and surprisingly – or not so surprisingly if you knew him – with a wide grin on his face. He sprang up in bed, eager to begin his day. Though he usually started his day this way, today was just a little bit more special than the rest. Today he was eighteen. Finally, finally, he was a man.

He'd been waiting for this day most of his life. To him, being eighteen meant his parents could no longer treat him like a child, and he couldn't be happier with that fact. He put the fact that he usually got treated like a child because he usually acted like one, out of his mind, and got up. He didn't want to waste any of this glorious day in bed.

He didn't really know why the age of eighteen, and the fact that he was legal now, was so important to him. It always had been, even when he was a kid. Though now probably had something to do with Maxwell, and how old his brother was. He thought it might just have something to do with the way his father treating Maxwell as a friend, someone he wanted to be around, instead of a wayward son, as he did Vic. It was a sorry reason, he knew that, but he couldn't help the way he felt. You couldn't put aside years of hurt and resentment in an instant, though he was trying.

He pushed that thought aside, determined not to have a cloud hovering over his day. He wasn't going to worry about Maxwell and his Dad today.

He shot from his room and bounded down the hall, pushing open the door to his sister's room without any thought of privacy or knocking first. The idea didn't even pop into his head. Jessie and he had been in each other's mind their whole lives. There wasn't anything he didn't know about her, and vice versa. As he was a rather open person, he'd never had any trouble with that, though he knew Jessie was struggling with it a little. She always had, and he'd learnt not to take her shutting him out to heart. It was just who she was.

He crept over to the bed, the occupant still curled up in a ball, dead to the world. An evil grin spreading across his face, he grabbed the edge of the covers and yanked.

Hard.

Jessie shrieked as the blankets – which had been very tightly tucked around her – shot backwards, dragging her with them. She slid off the end of the bed, and landed unceremoniously on the floor.

Her loud 'oomph' could be heard downstairs.

"VICTOR! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" she bellowed as she glared up at him. Vic grinned and folded his arms.

"Happy birthday sister dear," he said innocently. Jessie growled and picked herself up as their parents filled the doorway, both of them looking like they'd been asleep just moments before.

Chris and Lindsey took in the situation, their son standing beside his sister, who was scowling and rubbing her backside grumpily, and shook their heads.

"Vic, you couldn't at least let your sister sleep in, today of all days?" Lindsey yawned as she leaned her head against her husband's shoulder. Vic grinned and shook his head.

"Nope. Not today. Today, we celebrate, and it starts right now!" he crowed.

"_Christ, Vic, part of the celebration is that I can sleep in as long as I like," _Jessie groaned in his head. Vic laughed back at her.

"_Where's the fun it that? You're wasting daylight Jessie! Wake up, get dressed and let's go!"_

"_The party doesn't even start till this afternoon! Can't I please just sleep till then?" _Jessie whined. Vic found himself frowning at how tired her mental voice was, as well as the bags under her eyes.

He sighed. She's obviously had a nightmare again, and was trying her best to cover it up. He didn't understand why she thought she had to, but he loved and respected her enough not to lecture her about it, especially today. She'd just shut down anyway, so the point was moot.

"No. No sleep. But we can have waffles. We can, can't we?" he asked his mother brightly, knowing that they were Jessie's favourite. If anything was guaranteed to keep her out of bed, it was syrup drenched, chocolate chip waffles.

"I don't see why not," Lindsey answered with a gentle, knowing smile. Of course their mother would know what was going on with her daughter, just as she knew what Vic was up to.

Waffles were also great at taking a certain person's mind off pesky little nightmares.

"Chocolate chip? You can make cookies with the leftovers, right?" Chris asked, his eyes looking very much like the eyes of Tammy and Marks baby cocker spaniel. Lindsey laughed and rolled her own eyes.

"As if I'd ever not make cookies from the leftovers," she stated fondly before looking at her daughter, who was grumbling as she pushed her bedcovers back up onto the bed.

"Fifteen minutes," she said. She took Chris's hand and tugged him away from the doorway, stopping the way the father was watching his daughter with concern. Vic nodded and turned to Jessie as well.

"Happy birthday Jessie," he said again, and this time Jessie turned around and smiled at him tiredly.

"Happy birthday Vic," she answered. "Now leave please. I have to get dressed a lot earlier then I was planning, thanks to one overenthusiastic teenager."

He grinned and nodded, turning around and heading for the door.

"Better hurry up sis, or all the waffles will have mysteriously disappeared," he called back over his shoulder cheekily. Jessie's eyes narrowed.

"Victor Halliwell, don't you _dare_ eat my waffles," she hissed.

"Well then, stop lollygagging, and get your butt downstairs," he said. He laughed as his sister's growl followed him out of the room.

~0~

Jessie perked up a bit after she'd scoffed her waffles – and scoff them she did, Vic had always been surprised at how much his sister could eat. Their parents then surprised them both with individual little cupcakes, each with a single candle. They knew they wouldn't be able to do much as just the four of them that day, so they celebrated when they could, before the house was invaded.

And invaded it was. Both Laura and Matt came over not long after the family had finished their makeshift little birthday dinner, Piper and Leo not far behind them. Vic had just come back downstairs after changing in his 'party attire' – a little early, but hell, all of today was a party – when muffled voices from the study caught his attention. He pushed open the door just as his father burst into laughter over something their newest guest had said.

Vic's reaction to Maxwell and his Dad getting along was instinctive. Resentment and annoyance rushed through him, reflecting on his face for just an instant before he quickly shut it down. It was something he couldn't help, though it was a lot better than it had been a few months ago.

He loved his father, he really did, and he knew his father loved him. He told himself that over and over again, but he still couldn't help the doubt that shadowed his mind. It also didn't stop years of feeling like he wasn't good enough, that Chris wanted him to be someone else, not matter how often Chris did things that should have proved otherwise. At least now he knew the reason why his father had always been a little distant with him. And Chris was doing everything he could to make it up to him. But it was moments like this, when Chris spent time with Maxwell – his first son, the one he'd lost – that Vic reverted back to the hurt little boy his father had always unintentionally made him feel like.

"Maxwell! Hey, dude! Didn't hear you arrive!"

"That might have something to do with my arrival not making any sound," Maxwell said dryly in his posh English accent. Vic laughed and his brother grinned back him.

"Happy birthday Vic," he said. "Feel any different being an adult now?"

"Thanks bro. Course I do! I can now put away all my childish things and bask in the glow of being legal!"

"Yes, that's why you literally dragged your sister out of bed this morning," Chris said, just as dryly as Maxwell. "That's not childish at all."

"Hey, I wasn't quite eighteen yet then, was I?" Vic said innocently and Chris laughed and shook his head. He watched Vic closely for a long moment, making his son frown at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Go get a coat. We're going somewhere," Chris said abruptly. Vic raised his brows in confusion.

"Where?" he asked as he looked at Maxwell, who shrugged back at him.

"You'll find out when we get there. Go get your coat, Vic. You're going to need it."

"And Jessie?" he questioned. Chris shook his head.

"Not this time. It's just you and me."

Vic grinned.

~0~

Vic looked around in wonder as his father's orb cloud cleared. Chris had been right. He did indeed need his coat. He also needed to brace himself firmly against the strong wind trying the blow him over, though his father seemed quite content to do that for him. They were standing on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was the first time Vic had ever been there.

That fact was mostly his own fault. Neither of the twins had been allowed to go there when they were children, for obvious reasons. Jessie had come here for the first time with Chris on her tenth birthday. Vic had been invited as well, but by then he'd been old enough to realize that his father treated him differently, and he'd decided to not want to have anything to do with him as a result. The stage hadn't lasted long, he was too much a people person to freeze anyone out, but he _had_ taken a firm stance. Though Vic wasn't usually stubborn by nature, the family trait did rear it's ugly head in him every once in a while. Every time Chris had asked, he had said no, until eventually Chris had stopped asking.

It seemed his father wasn't giving him a choice today. Vic didn't mind at all. He'd always secretly wanted to see the place his father considered his sanctuary. He turned to look at Chris, a brow raised in question.

"I saw your face when you walked into the room earlier," Chris said quietly.

Vic cringed. His relationship with his father was a lot better than it had been, so he tried to hide his leftover reactions as best he could.

"Sorry," he muttered. Chris sighed and led him over to the edge of the beam, pulling him down until they were sitting on the edge. Vic had the fleeting thought that it was a good thing he wasn't afraid of heights.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Vic," Chris said. "Your reaction is my fault. I should have never treated you any differently to your sister. It's a massive regret, one I wish I could go back and change."

"You do realize that you can," Vic joked, trying to lighten the mood. He didn't do well with serious.

Chris smiled wryly. "With what happened the last time someone in this family went back in time? I think not," he said. "But it's why I bought you here. I realize that you've never really wanted to come here, but-"

"Yes I have," Vic interrupted.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep saying no?" Chris asked as he stared at his son in surprise.

"Because I didn't want you to bring me here just because you felt you had too," he answered softly, staring out at the Bay. He looked back up when Chris groaned.

"God, what I wouldn't give to change how I acted during your childhood," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry you felt I only asked because it was a duty. It was never that Vic. I really did want to bring you here."

"I'm here now," Vic murmured. He blinked when his father smiled widely, his green eyes sparkling with hope and happiness.

"Yes you are," he said. "Which brings me to the other reason we're here."

"There's more?" Vic queried. His father grinned at him.

"Of course there is. You're 18-years-old today, son. I was going to give you this later, at the party when your sister gets her own gift, but I felt it would be better if I gave it to you when it's just you and me."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a deep blue jewellery bag, handing it to his son. Vic looked at it curiously, if not a little warily. Why did his father buy him jewellery?

"What is it?" he asked. Chris nudged his gently with his shoulder.

"Open it and find out."

Vic looked at him for a moment before he shrugged and pulled open the drawstring, emptying the contents into his hand. He was silent for a long time as he stared at his birthday present from Chris.

It was a single-tiered wooden bead necklace with a small disk pendant hanging from the point. His heart thudded hard as he fiddled with it with his fingers, watching the light make the beads shine dully. He knew where it had come from and more importantly, whom it used to belonged to.

"Vic? Do you like it?"

"I shouldn't have this," Vic said with a strong sense of regret, looking up at his father. Chris frowned.

"Why not? Don't you like it?"

Vic shook his head. "I do, but it shouldn't be for me. Maxwell should have it, not me."

Chris sighed, taking the necklace out of his son's hand and ignoring all protest, fastened it around his neck.

"No, Victor. It's yours. You are my son, it goes to you."

"Maxwell is your son as well," Vic pointed out, his finger involuntarily rubbing the beads. "And it belonged to the original Chris first, who's technically his father. He should get it."

Chris reached out and turned his son towards him. Leaving his hands on Vic's shoulders, he met his gaze determinedly.

"Ben is Maxwell's father," he said, nodding as shock ran through Vic's eyes. "Not me or the original Chris. Your mother and I have discussed this, and we've decided to just treat him as a family friend instead of a son. It's too painful for us, Maxwell as well, to act like he's our son when he doesn't act the same way. He's still your brother, I don't think anything will ever change that, and he'll always be part of the family. But he already has parents whom he loves dearly. It's too much to expect him to treat us that way as well."

He squeezed Vic's shoulders. "You are my son, Victor. One I am very proud of and love with everything I have. If you don't want the necklace, that's fine, but don't give it up because you feel it's not meant to be yours. It's being passed down to you. You can wear it if you want, or just keep it to pass down to your own son one day."

Vic dropped his gaze, his fingers still rubbing the beads. Chris sighed again.

"If it makes you feel better, I've already talked about this with Ben, and he completely agrees with me. I think it would just confuse him more if Maxwell got the necklace. He's trying his best to stay Ben and not let his past life influence him in any way. And I would have given it to you anyway, even if he hadn't agreed, or your mother and I were still thinking of Maxwell as Max. It's always been yours, Vic. It was always going to go to you."

Vic didn't say anything for a while as he processed what his father was telling him. He glanced down, watching the pendant swing against the hollow of his throat, and realized at that moment that he desperately didn't want to take it off.

The necklace was his. It had been his father's and now it was his.

His smile was huge as he looked up at his father. Chris's own smile lit his face as relief passed through his eyes.

"I'd be honoured to wear it," Vic said sincerely. "Thank you for thinking of me."

Chris sighed and put his arm around Vic's shoulder.

"I always think of you, son. Always have, always will."

~0~

Vic and Chris stayed there for another half an hour or so, just talking. Vic felt fantastic. Sitting there, watching the tiny, toy-like cars zoom by beneath them, and talking with his father was a perfect way to spend the morning of his birthday. They had to leave eventually though, as they both didn't want to face Lindsey's wrath if they were late. Vic orbed home, his heart light and his outlook happy.

They were scolded for disappearing the minute they walked in the door, though Lindsey did tone it down when she was what Vic was wearing around his neck. She smiled at her husband, her eyes telling him she approved of his decision to give him the necklace early. Jessie's brows shot up when she saw it, but all she said was that it suited him.

He said the same thing when Lindsey gave Jessie her gift later on at the party. The beautiful dark purple amethyst and silver bracelet shone on her wrist, the flower shaped beads catching the light and reflecting it. Just as Vic wasn't one to wear jewellery, his sister wasn't either, but she'd been thrilled with the gift, as it was the one thing she'd always loved when her mother had worn it.

They both got many other presents, which they of course loved, but none of them meant as much as their parents gifts. For Vic, it finally proved without a shadow of doubt, the one thing he always couldn't help worrying about, though he'd never admit it.

His father loved him.

* * *

**For those who don't remember (or haven't read Future Consequences), Vic's birthday present is the necklace Lindsey bought for original Chris, which our Chris found in a box full of other original Chris stuff. While Jessie's gift is, of course, the bracelet her father bought her mother for her 21st birthday. :D**

**Right that really is it. Thanks so much for reading everyone!**


	24. Extra Four - Pride cometh

**Hide and Seek**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and the characters not in the original Charmed series

**A/N – For the guest reviewer who requested this chapter. Thank you for enjoying my story enough that you wanted to read more! You didn't specify exactly what you wanted to read, so I made it up as I went along. It takes place after all the other three. Hope you like it! :D**

**Extra Four – Pride cometh**

* * *

BOOM!

Jack Halliwell shrieked as she was shoved backwards by the force of the exploding potion sitting in front of her. She blinked to clear her vision as the room shook, coughing as she breathed in the smoke-clogged air. She frowned to herself as she got up and waved a hand to clear a path towards the blackened potion pot. She didn't understand what had gone wrong. That potion should _not _have exploded! She'd made it millions of times! What had she done wrong this time?

Shaking her head, she peered into the pot, her brows drawn down in confusion. It just didn't make sense. It was a simple potion, and-

"Jack? What was that? Are you okay? _Jack?!_"

The sixteen-year-old witch's head shot towards the door as her mother's voice floated up the stairs. She cringed. If her Mom walked in now and saw this mess… Riley Halliwell was tolerant of a lot of things, for which her youngest daughter was eternally grateful, but a ceiling covered with bright yellow, goopy, gunk-type stuff was not one of them. She'd be grounded for sure!

"I'm fine Mom! Just give me a minute, would you?"

"Clementine Halliwell, what did you do?"

Jack blanched as much as at the name as she did at the tone of her mother's voice. Panic rushed through her as she heard the tell-tale sounds of shoes on the stairs. Her mother was coming to investigate! Shit, shit, shit!

"Nothing, nothing," she answered airily as her gaze shot around the room, searching desperately for a way to clean the mess up.

"I swear, Clementine, if you've made a mess again, you'll be grounded until the end of time! I don't have time to deal with you as well as Carter's power! Why oh why did he have to get an active power so early? It'll be the death of me!"

As Riley's grumbling slunk closer and closer, Jack's eyes widened comically, her search esculating. She silently cursed the new wards her father had installed. Now she wasn't able to clean up the way she usually did, because the wards would register the Vanishing Spell, and she'd get in trouble anyway!

So Jack Halliwell did the only thing she could think of. For once in her life, she actually took her cousin Vic's advice, who was the expert at getting in and out of trouble.

_When in doubt, get out._

She jumped away from the ruined potion pot and, as Riley stepped into the room, she fled in a flurry of orbs, her mother's outraged yell echoing behind her.

~0~

When she reformed, she shrieked for the second time that day. But this time it wasn't because of a wayward potion that didn't do what it was supposed to do. It was because she was sure the image in front of her would scar her for life.

"Oh God! My eyes! Stop, stop, stop! Have a little decency people!" she cried as she screwed her eyes shut tight.

"Excuse me? This _is_ our apartment, you know!" came the insulted answer and, feeling that it was now safe to open her abused eyes, as people couldn't talk and heavily make-out at the same time, Jack turned to the voice. She grinned at her cousin, who was standing beside the sofa, her hands on her hips and a glare covering her features, while her boyfriend continued to sit on the sofa and blink dazedly.

"Really? When did that happen?" Jack asked, her eyes wide with fake astonishment. She grinned again when Matt chuckled. Jessie sighed and shook her head, her annoyance doing nothing to hide the smile creeping up the corner of her mouth. She sat back down, taking Matt's hand.

"What are you doing here Jack?" she asked. "I thought we weren't meeting till this evening?"

"My potion exploded," Jack answered gloomily.

"Again?" Jessie questioned with a frown. "What did you do wrong?"

"Nothing!" Jack groaned, tugging at her hair as frustration boiling inside her. "Jessie, I don't know what's going on! It was just a simple low-level vanquishing potion, one I've made heaps of times! Why do they keep blowing up?!"

"You know I'm not the right person to answer that question cuz," Jessie said softly. She walked over and swung her arm around Jack's shoulder, drawing the dejected teenager towards the sofa. With a look from his girlfriend, Matt got up and headed for the kitchen, coming back a couple of moments later with two sodas and a plate of Lindsey's chocolate chip cookies.

"I'll just go see what Vic's up to," he said quietly, smiling at Jessie when she threw him a grateful look. He reached out and squeezed Jack's shoulder before making his exit.

When they were alone, Jessie turned her cousin until they were sitting facing one another.

"You know who you have to talk to," Jessie said firmly. The younger witch scrunched her shoulders, nibbling on a cookie.

"Don't wanna," she mumbled, her pout more designed for a two-year-old then someone half way through their teens. Jessie once again shook her head.

"You are far too much like Vic for your own good," she muttered. Jack looked up and grinned.

"And you. That's why you love me," she chirped.

"Yeah, but I can only take myself in small doses as it is," Jessie said dryly, saluting with her can. Jack laughed.

"But seriously cuz, you really do need to talk to Uncle Wyatt and the Granddad about this. Nothing you have created lately has worked as it should, and this has been going on since you recovered. Do you really want to take the chance with something you've made, and then have it go horribly wrong when you put it to use?"

"No," Jack sighed. "But if I tell them, they'll start treating me like I'm going to shatter at any moment again! I hated that Jessie, as you know!"

"If you don't tell them, what'll go wrong next? Your active powers maybe?" Jessie shot back. "You need to talk to them, and soon!"

"Says the girl who put off talking for months, until her boyfriend made her," Jack muttered against her own can. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and look where that got me," she stated with exaggerated patience. "I was too stubborn and proud to do what I should have done the first time I had a nightmare, and I suffered for months because of it. Don't follow my example, Jack. Ask for help when you need it."

Jack stared at her cousin for a long moment, surprise lighting her eyes. Damn.

"When the hell did you grow up?" she demanded abruptly and Jessie laughed.

"A while ago. But don't worry. Vic's child enough for both of us."

"True," Jack agreed, and they both laughed. When the laughter died down, Jack sighed.

"A don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked in a forlorn voice.

"Not if you want to vanquish a demon instead of bathing it in flowers," Jessie joked. Jack smiled before squaring her shoulders.

"Right, let's get this over and done with then," she said. "Magic School it is."

"Magic School? You can wait until Uncle Wyatt gets home, you know," Jessie said. "Actually he'd probably appreciate it if you did. He's grading final papers at the moment, and you know that's not a job he enjoys."

"Home. Ah, yes." Jack said with a cagey little laugh. "Yeah, maybe not such a good idea at the moment."

"Why not?" Jessie asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Jack, what did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing," she answered airily. "Just, ah, I may have left the mess all over the attic for Mom to deal with. Maybe."

Jessie groaned. "Far, far too much like Vic for your own good," she muttered and bit into a cookie.

~0~

Jack orbed up to Magic School, knowing exactly where to go as soon as she arrived. All she had to do was follow the dark muttering.

"Hair from a unicorn's tail? Why the hell would you put hair from a unicorn's tail in? Christ, Jason, didn't you study at all?"

Jack grinned at the groan of despair. Jessie had been right. Her father really didn't like marking final papers. He actually didn't like marking any kind of paper, but final ones were the worst. She headed towards the growling and tentatively knocked on the door.

"Yes, yes, come it, please save me from my fate."

"Ah, Dad? Hey."

"Jack?" Wyatt said in surprise, getting up from his chair. "Hey honey. Is something wrong?"

"No. Well actually, yes, there is," she amended. "But if you're busy, I can come back another time."

She tried not to sound too eager. She failed abysmally.

"I'm never too busy for any of my children," Wyatt said with a smile. He rounded his desk and headed for the worn looking couch, patting the space beside him.

"Take a seat," he said. Jack reluctantly walked over and sat down next to him. "Now what's wrong baby girl? Did Carter run your Mom ragged again?"

"Probably," Jack answered with a grin. "According to Nani, she deserves it. Now she knows what her parents went through."

"Yes, well, having a shape-shifter in the family who can't actually control when he changes yet would be a handful for anyone," Wyatt said with a roll of his eyes. "But that isn't what you're here for, is it?"

"No," she said in a soft voice, looking down at her fidgeting fingers. "I wanted to talk to you about something. You and Gramps actually. Dammit, why didn't I think to pick him up on the way?"

"No need," Wyatt said, getting up and heading back towards his desk. "He's here already, in the library. Do you want him here?"

"I think… yes. Yes, I would."

Wyatt nodded and picked up a crystal. It began to glow the instant he touched it.

"Dad? Can you come to my office? Jack's here and she wants to talk to us."

"Is she okay?"

Jack couldn't help but smile at the automatic question. She really loved her family.

"I'm not sure," Wyatt answered slowly as he watched his daughter. "Can you come?"

"On my way."

It didn't take long for Leo to reach his son's office, but Jack sat and fiddled with the bottom of her t-shirt the whole time, not looking at her father. Man, she really didn't want to do this. She'd absolutely despised the length of time it took for her to recover. Not because she had to recover, though that was bad enough. But because her parents, sister, grandparents, uncles and aunts had all treated her like she was a helpless little girl who couldn't do anything for herself. Yes, she'd been hurt, she'd nearly died, but that didn't mean she was fragile and had to be handled with care. It had taken a lot for them to treat her normally again.

She was terribly afraid that when she told her father and grandfather what was going on, they'd revert back to that. She didn't want that. At all. She'd felt like she was suffocating last time. She didn't want to feel that way again.

There was also another reason as well why she didn't want to tell them. She didn't want them to think her weak. She sighed. Yup, Jessie had had an influence on her life, all right.

She looked up when the door opened, her thoughts and doubts pushed back so that they didn't show on her face. Leo stepped into the room, his eyes immediately going to his granddaughter. He took Wyatt's seat on the couch, as the Twice Blessed was now sitting on the edge of his desk.

"Jack?" Wyatt questioned softly. His daughter took a deep breath.

"Something's been going on. W-with me," Jack stuttered, her gaze back on her hands.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt asked, parroting Leo, but with a lot more concern this time.

"I'm fine. Well, no, I'm not. Something's… something's wrong with me."

She started in surprise when she suddenly found herself being lifted, relaxing again when Wyatt settled back on the couch with her now in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly.

"Honey, you're scaring me. Please tell me what's wrong."

For the first time in years, Jack allowed herself to be cradled in her father's arms. She wrapped her own arms around him, held on, and told them everything.

She told them how nearly all of her potions blew up, and how sometimes the ingredients just sat in the pot, not blending, no matter how hard she stirred. She told them how, even though she was completely recovered, she felt weaker then she was before Evil Wyatt drained her. She told them how she sometimes had to sleep after she'd been brewing, because she was just so damn exhausted. She told them about her spells not doing what they were supposed to, or sometimes not even working at all. And she told them that, apart from orbing, she hadn't used her defensive active power in over a month because she was afraid of hurting someone with it.

She let it all out, not holding anything back, her face buried in her father's chest the entire time. When she'd finished, she just sat there, not wanting to see their expressions. Their disappointment.

She resisted slightly when her father tugged her back, but she finally let go of him. Wyatt put his hand under her chin and lifted it.

"And this has been going on since Jessie vanquished him?" Wyatt asked softly. Jack nodded, her eyes downcast.

"Since I recovered from him draining me."

"Are you sure you're recovered completed?" Leo asked. Jack looked over nodded once again.

"Yes. Absolutely sure. I don't know what's wrong."

She looked back at her father, fear in her eyes.

"What's wrong with me, Daddy?"

Wyatt groaned. "Oh my darling, there's nothing wrong with you! I promise you we'll figure this out. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Jack grimaced as embarrassment surged through her. "I, ah, well, pride I guess."

"Something this family has a lot of," Leo commented, his tone dry as dust. Jack chuckled weakly.

"I'll say. I just didn't want to be treated the way I was when I was recovering. I hated that, and I was afraid this would send me right back there."

"We had every right to treat you that way, Jack," Leo pointed out in a gentle voice. "You terrified us."

"It wasn't my fault," Jack muttered indignantly.

"No, it wasn't," Leo agreed. "If we're playing the blame game, it was more my fault then anyone else's. But we're not," he said when Wyatt glared at him. "It's no one's fault. It happened. We now have to deal with the aftermath. But we can only do that if people let us."

Jack pouted at his pointed look.

"Okay, enough scolding," Wyatt said. He looked at Leo. "Have you heard of anything like this happening before?"

"Not that I can recall, but then I haven't been an Elder for years," he answered. "Maybe we should call Michael?"

"No!" Jack blurted, flushing when the two men looked at her. "Can we please just deal with this between us?"

"There's that pride again," Wyatt teased and Jack bit her lip sheepishly. "We'll keep it in the family. Now, perhaps we should see the extent of what's lessened. Feel up to giving a demonstration?"

Jack looked up into her father's calm and steady eyes and felt better then she had in months. Jessie had been right again. Keeping something that needed to be shared to yourself most definitely wasn't the way to go.

~0~

They practised and observed for over an hour, Jack showing them just what had weakened. She even tried her Molecular Dispersion, finding it harder to control then it should have been. It the end they still hadn't come up with a why for her, but she found she didn't mind as much as she probably should. Her father knew now, and he was the Twice Blessed, so if anyone could solve the problem, he could. She was just glad she'd told him.

Wyatt pulled her to a stop just after they'd decided to call it a night – Jack a bit more hesitantly then her father, as he didn't know what state his daughter had left the attic in. He met her eyes and took her hand.

"Jack, you do know you can tell me anything, don't you? I love you and I'm not ever going to judge you, no matter what you tell me."

Jack smiled. Why had she ever bottled it all away? Her Dad was a hero, her hero. He could fix anything.

"I know Daddy. I'm sorry I kept it from you. I love you too."

Wyatt smiled as well and put his arm around her shoulder. They were heading down the main corridor when Jack heard someone call her name. She flushed and began to fidget again, the instant she turned round and saw who it was.

"Umm. Jacob. Hey."

Wyatt looked between his youngest daughter, who seemed fascinated with her hand once more, and the young man approaching them. He sighed. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

His Clementine was growing up.

"I'll meet you at home," he reluctantly whispered in her ear. Jack threw him a grateful smile.

"Thanks Dad," she whispered back. His smile had just a touch of sadness to it as he turned away.

"Hey, Dad?" Jack called after him. Wyatt looked back over his shoulder in question.

"Don't, ah, maybe don't go into the attic until I get home, okay?"

Wyatt's eyes narrowed. "Clementine Halliwell, what did you do?"

"Nothing, nothing," she said airily before winking and turning back to the boy approaching her. She grinned. Man, she loved her family.

* * *

**Okay, that really is it. No more. Done. The end. Finite. :-) Love you all! See you on the flip side!**


End file.
